Fig Chips Production in Nazilli Boosts Income
· Dünya Gazetesi
Fig chips, prepared by transforming fresh figs into value-added products in Nazilli, Aydın, are increasing rural women's employment and producer income with prices up to 6 times higher than fresh produce.
New Value Addition in Aydın Figs
As the harvest season begins for Aydın figs, a product with protected geographical indication registered by the European Union, value-added production has accelerated. Fig chips, meticulously sliced and dried by producers in the Nazilli district, are sold at prices 5-6 times higher than fresh figs. This special product, also fetching 2 to 2.5 times the price of traditional dried figs, opens a significant additional income stream for the region's farmers and local businesses.
Regional Production and Export Volume
Fig cultivation is carried out across approximately 40,000 hectares in Aydın province. During the productive season, an average of 200,000 tons of figs are harvested, with about 70,000 tons of this production being dried and exported to global markets. While a portion of the remaining harvest is offered fresh for domestic consumption, innovative processing techniques and fig chip production developed in recent years are further boosting the region's agricultural trade potential in both domestic and international markets.
Drying Process and Price Advantage
The production of value-added fig chips begins with the careful slicing of fresh figs collected early in the morning from the orchards. The prepared slices are then arranged on special racks and left to dry in shaded terraces and gardens, away from direct sunlight. After approximately 3 to 4 days of drying, the products are packaged under hygienic conditions and made ready for sale. Offered directly to consumers via social media as well as to the wholesale market, the product multiplies the producer's earnings per unit area.
Entrepreneurship and Product Range in Kızıldere
Nuri Duran, a 30-year-old entrepreneur residing in Kızıldere Mahallesi, Nazilli, contributes to the region's agriculture by processing fresh figs sourced from his own orchards and from other local farmers. Nuri Duran, who started trading dried figs in his childhood and later transformed it into a corporate business, markets approximately 65 different agricultural products, including fig chips, dried figs, fig jam, thyme, dried tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, chestnuts, and artichokes, adding value to them.
Direct Contribution to Rural Women's Employment
The facility, utilizing the village square as a drying center, provides direct employment opportunities for over 20 local women during the harvest season. Gizem Şimşek, an employee at the facility, described the production process as follows:
"I've been doing this fig chip business for 3 years. We gathered with the women of the village, young women, housewives, and said, 'Come, sister, let's work.' We collected our figs, sorted them by size. We cut the stems and bottoms of the figs we collected and sliced them thinly. We dried our fig chips on racks and sieves. We selected and sized the dried chips. We prepared our dried figs like this and are preparing and sending our valuable customers' orders. We supported the village women and also supported our own pockets."
Producers Aim to Enter the Global Market
Entrepreneur and producer Nuri Duran explained the facility's production goals and methods with the following statements:
"Our figs are collected from the Nazilli mountains. We specifically make fig chips from the fresh figs we collect from the rugged terrain. And we produce them in Nazilli, the world's sole supplier. We strive to add value as chips and fresh figs. We offer them for sale as dried figs, fresh figs, and fig chips. We bring the figs collected in the early morning hours to our facility, slice them thinly onto sieves here, and most importantly, leave them to dry without sun exposure. Our figs dry in 3 days. At the end of the third day, we package our fig chips cleanly and hygienically and offer them for sale in the domestic market. We process 150-200 tons of fresh figs per season. We market our products only in the domestic market. Of course, as we grow, our goals include expanding into Europe and abroad."