Harvest Increases in Kayseri, But Aronia Struggles to Find Buyers

September 28, 2026 · NTV Ekonomi

Bahri Erbay, who produces aronia from 10,000 saplings in Kayseri's Tomarza district, is storing his produce in cold storage due to a lack of domestic market promotion and insufficient buyers.

Bahri Erbay, residing in Karaören Neighborhood of Tomarza district in Kayseri, turned to aronia production, known as a superfood, upon the recommendation of his brother Selami Erbay, who works as an aircraft engineer in Germany. The producer, who brought this product, native to North America, to the soil in 2022, has reached a capacity of 10,000 saplings across a 33-decare area. Erbay, who established one of the largest aronia gardens in the region, has started to see yields after 4 years.

Producer Bahri Erbay stated that they first addressed the water needs by drilling a well during the garden's establishment phase and explained the procurement of certified saplings from Poland with the following words:

Producer Bahri Erbay noted that they expect a yield of 1 ton per decare this year, but expressed that they are facing sales difficulties because the product is not sufficiently recognized in the domestic market:

Producer Bahri Erbay emphasized that the product should be utilized in value-added industries and called for support in processing and promotion of the fruit:

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