Gursu district in Bursa, a city located in northwestern Turkey, is responsible of nearly half of the pear production in the country. The harvest started in late July and still continues.
Santa Maria variety of pears is known by its taste and long shelf life. Producers expect the yields to increase by 40 to 50% compared to last year.
“These are the last days of the harvest. Fruits have ripened and we have little time left. We have to complete the harvest within a week.” said Gursu Agricultural Chamber’s Vice President Ali Ozcan.
Emphasising that yields are higher than their expectations Ozcan said: “We are content with the productivity. There aren’t any diseases. Only in some villages, due to freezing temperatures, there had been some rust issues but now fruits are good.”
Ozcan stated that prices of pears range from 3.5 to 4 Turkish Lira (0.40 to 0.46 Euro) per kilo and that these days exports are mainly destined to Russia and Ukraine.
Erhan Ulu, the President of Isaoren Agricultural Development Cooperative that operates in located in Bursa’s Inegol district said that the harvest continues well and continued: “We reached our expectations in terms of exports. Currently, we export to Russia. Our export volume to Russia is 400 to 500 tons. We also aim to export to Iraq. We continue to negotiate with buyers in this country.”
Source: AA