Harvest time for the industrial plant that only grows in Bilecik, Turkey.

The harvest of the industrial plant hops, which is grown only in the Pazaryeri district of Bilecik, Turkey, and is used primarily in the beverage industry as well as in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic sectors, has started.

Hops, produced on approximately 1,450 decares of land in the Pazaryeri district and serving as a source of livelihood for about 500 farmers, was included among Bilecik’s geographical indication products by the Bilecik Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2020 in cooperation with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office. In the past few months, the purchase prices for hops for the year 2024 were set at 69 TL for the aroma variety and 67 TL for other varieties, while the harvest in the district was lower than expected due to the dry summer season.

“There were no herbs due to the hot weather”
Fahrettin Kınık, who produces hops in the village of Dereköy, stated that the harvest season has begun and that he has not received the expected yield, noting that his products are only one-tenth of what they were last season. Kınık, who expects 2.5 tons of product from his hops fields this season, said, “We were expecting 2 tons or 2.5 tons from this field. But if it ends up being between 100 kilos and 150 kilos, that’s it; if it’s not that, then there’s nothing, complete loss. The herbs did not grow because of the hot weather; the yield has dried up. If this continues, we will stop farming, we will just give up.”

“This year, our farmers did not smile”
Wishing a prosperous season to all farmers, Zafer Kozpınar, President of the Pazaryeri and Villages Hops and Rose Producers Agricultural Development Cooperative OT-GÜL, stated, “Our 2024 hops purchase season has begun. This year, due to climatic conditions, our farmers did not smile. The yield is very low. Hopefully, in the coming years, they will recover. However, the work of your farmers is becoming more difficult each year. May God help us all.”