Olive harvesting has begun in Gaziantep.

Olive harvesting has begun in the village of Tiyekli, located in the Şahinbey district of Gaziantep.
The olive saplings distributed by the Şahinbey Municipality five years ago have brought joy to farmers during the harvest season. Farmers who have started harvesting table olives stated that they are waiting for rain for olive oil production. Farmer Zeki Şahin expressed that obtaining olive oil has become difficult due to drought and that rain would significantly increase the yield of the crops.

“We are waiting for rain for olive oil”
Farmer Şahin, who mentioned that they are waiting for rain for olive oil production, said, “I have been doing this since my childhood. Today we started the olive harvest here. Green olives are usually collected in October. In November, the harvest continues for olive oil and black olives. Right now, we are waiting for rain to produce olive oil. We need to wait until it rains. Rain is necessary for the olives to be oily. In the past, we used to collect olives by hitting them with sticks. Now we have machines. It is easier for us now.”

“We pay daily workers 1000 TL here”
Explaining the olive picking process, Şahin said, “The collection period varies depending on the size of the orchard. There are a thousand olive trees here. We finish this in a week. We pay daily workers 1000 TL. Olive oil is a very healthy oil. It is good for many diseases. A barrel of olive oil is 4000 TL. The barrel of black olives is 200 TL. We sell it for 100 TL in the field. However, when you go to the market, the price rises to 250 TL. The Şahinbey Municipality provided us with these olive saplings. We thank Mehmet Tahmazoğlu for their support.”

“My grandfather used to bring me to collect olives, and now I bring my grandchild”
Farmer Besni Şahin, who has been collecting olives since childhood, stated, “When I was a child, I used to come here to collect olives with my grandparents. Now my grandchildren come here with me to collect olives. A shawl is spread under the trees to collect olives. The olives are then poured onto the shawl. We separate the olives that will be used for oil. The remaining olives are seasoned and offered for sale. Olive harvesting is a tough job. Workers can struggle because the weather is cold. However, we are very pleased with farming.”