The harvest of the brown pistachio, whose price competes with gold in Kilis, has begun
The harvest of the immature inner pistachios, known as ‘boz’, which are collected before the new crop of Antep pistachios in Kilis, has begun. The harvest of ‘boz’ Antep pistachios, which are grown primarily in Gaziantep and throughout Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia, has started in the border town of Syria…

The harvest of the underdeveloped inner pistachios known as ‘boz’, which are picked before the new crop of Antep pistachios, has begun in Kilis.
The harvest of ‘boz’ Antep pistachios, grown primarily in Gaziantep and in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions, has started in Kilis, a border town with Syria. Pistachio producers in Kilis are climbing the trees with ladders to collect the unripe pistachios. While the harvest of this green gold is expected to be completed within this month, Turkey ranks 7th in Antep pistachio production, which is gradually increasing in production area. Compared to last year, Antep pistachios were planted on an additional 2,000 acres across the city, and this year production is taking place on 77,000 decares of land. Contributing to the national economy with 1.5 million trees, the prices of Antep pistachios have pleased producers this year.
“The harvest of the boz pistachio, competing with gold, has begun.”
Güven Özdemir, the President of the Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, stated that Turkey ranks 7th in Antep pistachio harvest, saying, “The harvest of the first boz pistachios, which are an important source of income for our producers, has started in Kilis. The production area for Antep pistachios in our city is increasing every day, reaching 77,000 decares this year. The yield is very high, almost double compared to last year. Last year we harvested 2,500 tons, and this year we expect a yield of 5 to 6 thousand tons. This is a pleasant situation for our producers. Currently, boz pistachios are being sold for 130 TL. Both the yield and the price are making our producers happy. Our farmers are harvesting in pistachio orchards at 45 degrees Celsius. About 350 grams of inner pistachios can be obtained from one kilogram of boz pistachios,” he said.
Farmer Mehmet Canbakış, stating that the harvest of green gold has begun, said, “We started the harvest of boz pistachios in our orchard despite the air temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees. With the start of the harvest, the prices starting from 130 TL have already managed to make us smile. Our yield is much higher this year compared to last year.”
“I love my school, but I have to help my dad.”
4th-grade student Çiğdem Canbakış said, “In winter, I go to school, and in summer, I work in the fields with my dad, mom, and siblings. The weather is very hot, and my dad struggles a lot in this heat, but he still has to work here to meet our household needs. I wake up early in the morning, and we harvest together here until noon. I love my school very much, but I have to help my dad and my family.”