A contribution of 1.5 million TL was made to the economy from the first harvest

Farmer Murat Özkan, who started strawberry production on his land where he used to plant clover in previous years, contributed around 1.5 million TL to the economy from the 40 tons of strawberries he harvested in 1 year. In recent years, farmers in Muş prefer strawberry cultivation, and the fields are full of smiles. Farmers harvest strawberries from the cool hours of the morning until noon in the strawberry fields where the first harvest of the year is made. Farmer Murat Özkan, who previously planted clover on his 15-acre land in the village of Kepenek connected to the center, started strawberry cultivation last year. Özkan, who brought 100 thousand strawberry seedlings from Manisa and planted them on his land, started the first harvest of the year. Expressing that he obtains an average of 40 tons of strawberries per month in the harvested field, Özkan stated that he has 15 acres of land and used to plant clover here before. Özkan, who stated that he entered a different quest, said, ‘After deciding to plant strawberries, I went to Manisa and brought 100 thousand strawberry seedlings. I have been producing strawberries for 2 years and we harvest crops for 8 months every year. We obtain around 5 tons of crops per month and reach 30-40 tons in a year.’ Mentioning that they sell the strawberries they produce wholesale, Özkan said, ‘Sometimes people come and buy from us at wholesale prices and sell them by the roadside. 25 people work on our field daily. They work from morning until noon, and we deliver the strawberries they pick to our customers.’ Özkan, who also gave advice to farmers to make use of their empty lands, said that especially planting strawberries, beans, and cranberries would be profitable.