In the Iznik district of Bursa, the Asi family, where all family members are agricultural engineers, produces plums in the winter season in their greenhouses. Ali Asi (49), who stated that they will start the plum harvest as of the beginning of March, said that they are planning to obtain 1 ton of plum per year. Ali Asi: “The size of the fruit now is as much as roasted chickpeas or hazelnuts. We made early harvest possible by adjusting the soil temperature, humidity rates, and greenhouse temperature with the latest system in our trees and greenhouses, which we looked after like babies for 12 months. We are expecting one ton of product this year. This will continue to increase every year, now there are flowers on one side and fruit vines continue on the other."
Noting that early harvest plums are very tasty and they produce completely natural methods without using any chemicals, Asi said, “We have 290 saplings in our 840 square meter area, which we planted at 1-meter intervals. The row spacing of our saplings is 2.5 meters and we produce with a different production technique. We made this production plan to make early harvest possible. Our product is increasing every year. We put our facility into operation in 2017. We expect a product of around 1 ton this season, and our goal is to increase our production areas and produce for export. Thus, we are planning to catch up with the demand both in the domestic market and in the foreign market. I am an agricultural engineer, my wife and son are also agricultural engineers, we are committed to this job. For this purpose, we established this greenhouse using different production techniques and we want to develop it and take it further."
"We fertilize by pollinating with bees, we do this in completely organic conditions. We produce in natural conditions by creating the spring air required by our greenhouse in the middle of winter with organic plant, feeding, correct pruning, and temperature and humidity control. We control the temperature of the existing greenhouse with our underground heating and keep it under observation with cameras for 24 hours. This is how we achieve success."
Source: Hurriyet