The first purple potato planting was carried out in Erzurum

Purple potatoes were planted for the first time in Erzurum.
Erzurum Commodity Exchange announced that after researching the compatibility of the soil in Pasinler district last October, feasibility studies were conducted on the yield of the fields and the quality of the soil, evaluating that the yield of Purple Potatoes would be high. It was also stated that Purple Potatoes, which were planted today in Erzurum, are not only beneficial for human health but also effectively used in the dye and cosmetic industry.

Hakan Oral, the Chairman of Erzurum Commodity Exchange, Pasinler Mayor Ünsal Sertoğlu, President of Eskişehir Women’s Hand Cooperative Hayriye Kuşçu, Pasinler District Agriculture Director Hamza Moroğlu, General Coordinator of Erzurum Commodity Exchange Agriculture and Livestock Development Inc. Ahmet Topaloğlu, Pasinler Potato Producers Association President Lokman Sertoğlu, along with farmers and producers, attended the Purple Potato planting event in a 7-acre field in Pasinler District.

Considered as a high-value-added product in our country and a first in our region, Purple Potatoes, brought together with the efforts of Erzurum Commodity Exchange, are planned to be planted in different districts of our province in the coming days.

Chairman Oral: Good luck to our city and region.
Erzurum Commodity Exchange Chairman Hakan Oral, who stated that they are making efforts to spread Purple Potatoes in our city and region, thanked Pasinler Mayor Ünsal Sertoğlu and Pasinler Potato Producers Association President Lokman Sertoğlu for their support for the planting of Purple Potatoes. He continued his words as follows: ‘While we have studies on high-value-added agricultural products in our city, we met Purple potatoes. Hopefully, we are making the first planting of Purple Potatoes today as a high-value-added product. Hopefully, during the harvest season, we will introduce our farmers to this product completely with an event here. Of course, our dream, our goals are longer and bigger, but what matters is to increase the labor of the farmers a little more and to gain three times more added value with the same labor, the same labor, the same diesel, so we have gained a product that will bring three times more added value to the Pasin plain, thanks to our Mayor Ünsal Sertoğlu, President of Eskişehir Women’s Hand Cooperative Hayriye Kuşçu, and Pasinler Potato Growers Association President Lokman Sertoğlu, and all our farmers. I thank and wish it to be good.’

Hayriye Kuşçu: I believe that the cultivation of Purple Potatoes will be productive in Erzurum.
Hayriye Kuşçu, President of Eskişehir Women’s Hand Cooperative, who participated in the Purple Potato planting program, stated that Erzurum Commodity Exchange President Hakan Oral, who was informed about our work during the last harvest season, contacted us to introduce this high-value-added product to his hometown. In our field studies, we saw that these lands are suitable for the productivity of Purple Potatoes, and we came to Erzurum with the invitation of the Exchange President to introduce this high-value-added product to Erzurum and the region. And today we planted Purple Potatoes here.’

Mayor Sertoğlu: We are ready to provide all kinds of support.
Pasinler Mayor Ünsal Sertoğlu stated that they were introduced to Purple potatoes for the first time in the district, emphasizing that Purple potatoes, which are an alternative product for farmers in the district, are a sought-after alternative product. Sertoğlu also thanked Erzurum Commodity Exchange Chairman Hakan Oral for pioneering the planting of Purple Potatoes.

President of Pasinler Potato Producers Association Lokman Sertoğlu: I believe that the cultivation of Purple Potatoes will be successful.
President of Pasinler Potato Producers Association Lokman Sertoğlu stated that the cultivation of Purple Potatoes is an opportunity for Pasinler district, saying, ‘With the support of our President Oral and President of Eskişehir Women’s Hand Cooperative Hayriye Kuşçu, we introduced Purple Potatoes to Erzurum for the first time. We will work to achieve more, to get more yield.’

Benefits of Purple Potatoes
A study revealed that consuming Purple Potatoes for 4 weeks led to a 4 mm Hg decrease in blood pressure. It was also found that its consumption for 14 days reduces artery stiffness, indicating that Purple Potatoes reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. With its high potassium and anthocyanin content, Purple Potatoes are believed to have a blood pressure-lowering effect and are thought to play an effective role against prostate, breast, and colon cancer with various polyphenols in its content.