A few years ago farmers stopped growing leeks in the Aegean region as prices fell to as low as 3 Euro cents, now exports have started and the market has become enlivened again.
Izmir’s Torbali district is a leading centre of winter vegetable production and an increase in leek cultivation over the past few years has taken place there.
Torbali covers almost 65% of leek production in İzmir and in the district the amount of area planted with the crop is rapidly increasing; annually almost 4,000 decares are planted and more than 12,000 tons of leeks have started to be grown. The leeks grown in the region are both sold on the domestic market and have began to be exported to Germany, Switzerland, Poland and Holland.
Leeks are planted in the Aegean region between July and September, it takes between 3-6 months for them to ripen and the first harvest is ready in November. The yield per decare is around 5 tons of leeks and on average 4 workers perform the harvest. The chairman of Torbali’s Chamber of Agriculture Yilmaz Girgin explains that close to 4,000 decares of production takes place in the region and over the past few years the level has seriously increased.
Girgin, “Since the export of leeks has begun there is more interest in production. The increase in exports stabilised prices. On the domestic market consumption has also increased. Five years ago growers were leaving leeks in the field as they weren’t making money from them. The current situation is pleasing to both growers and consumers. Because when prices were low one year, the next year no one would grow leeks and the prices would soar. Due to exports the prices have levelled.”
Mahmut Sahin a vegetable grower from Izmir explained that exporting the vegetable has also led to better quality produce and the price from the fields has increased to 30 Euro cents, which means growers are rather hopeful this season.
