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🇹🇷 Turkey /Economy & Trade

Harvest season begins for Turkey's registered Kılıçlar onion, selling for 30 lira per kilogram

From Cumhuriyet · () Turkish

Translated from Turkish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Farmers have begun harvesting Kılıçlar onions in Kılıçlar village after a growing cycle that starts in spring and continues into September.
  • The onion was registered as a geographical indication in 2017 and sells for about 30 Turkish lira per kilogram this year.
  • Seasonal women workers say the harvest provides important income, while one producer expects 70 to 80 tons from 20 decares.

In Kılıçlar village, women arrive in the fields early each morning to pull onions from the soil, clean them, sort them by size and pack them into bags. For these seasonal workers, the harvest is more than agricultural labor. It is a crucial source of income for their families.

We first pull the onions out cleanly, then clean them. We sort them by size, put them into bags and tie the bags shut. We also have a one-hour break. That is how we spend our day.

· Neslihan KabadayıThe seasonal farm worker described the daily harvest routine.

Kılıçlar onion comes from an heirloom seed preserved and cultivated in the area for generations. Its distinctive aroma and high pyruvic acid content set it apart from other varieties. After an application to Turkey's Patent and Trademark Office in 2014, the product received geographical indication status in October 2017.

Production begins with planting in February and March. Workers remove weeds in April and May, and harvest the onions from September, once they mature at the end of summer. Producers are selling this year's crop for about 30 lira per kilogram.

We get up in the morning and come to the field, and we cut onions. We have been working in these fields for about 10 to 15 years. This work is not continuous, it is seasonal.

· Nevriye İriThe seasonal worker explained the nature of employment in the fields.

Neslihan Kabadayı, 64, said workers spend their days removing, cleaning and packing the onions, with a one-hour break. Nevriye İri, 54, said she had worked in the fields for about 10 to 15 years, though the work remains seasonal. Zeliha Sıtkı, 50, said the daily wages help workers earn a living, alongside seasonal work in the forest.

We are daily workers. We come here and work to earn our living. We also work in the forest. We work in the forest and in the fields seasonally. We come to work when there is work.

· Zeliha SıtkıThe worker described how seasonal labor supports her livelihood.

Producer Şenol Meşe expects a yield of about four to five tons per decare. He planted 20 decares and expects to harvest between 70 and 80 tons. He also said local tradition credits the onion with benefits for hardening of the arteries, heart conditions and rheumatic diseases, while emphasizing that the area's soil gives the crop its distinctive qualities.

I planted 20 decares of onions. In total, I expect to harvest approximately 70 to 80 tons. God willing, I hope we will have a good harvest.

· Şenol MeşeThe producer gave his planting area and expected yield for the season.
About this summary

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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