The cultivation of bananas in Turkey is becoming increasingly relevant, with the volume produced covering half of the total domestic consumption. To achieve this, Turkish companies have had to make large investments in Mersin, the city where most of the crops are located, as well as the largest commercial port in the country. "We are making a lot of progress in the cultivation of this fruit, but our greenhouses don't yet have the necessary technology to maintain the temperature, humidity, etc.," explains Kerem Baltu, manager of Tumen Tarim.
The advances made to cultivate bananas in greenhouses "are very expensive," because a great number of updates are required. At the moment, "the construction of one hectare alone costs about 180,000 dollars, and to that you have to add the land, the crop's production costs and the salary of the workers." However, it is "a good business, because the government gives tax incentives, which really encourages producers."
The other 50% of bananas consumed in the country are usually imported from countries like Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, etc. "Mersin is the port where they usually arrive and from where they are redistributed to local markets, both for Turkish consumption and for other countries, like Iran, Iraq or Syria," explains Baltu. The volume of imports is considerable, as Turkey demands an average of 60 containers per week.
