Farmers in Hatay, which was affected by the earthquake, are working hard to heal the wounds. The delicious products grown in Hatay’s fertile lands are starting to be harvested with the summer season. Watermelons grown in open fields in the Kurtbağı Neighborhood of Arsuz district have also started to be harvested. Natural and delicious watermelons are finding buyers for 10 to 15 TL per kilogram from the field.
While sudden temperature changes in provinces such as Adana and Diyarbakır worried farmers, watermelon producer Sezer Kala in the Kurtbağı Neighborhood found an interesting solution to prevent damage to the crop. Kala protected the watermelons from the burning effects of the sun by wrapping them individually in newspaper. “I prevented the harmful effects of the sun by wrapping it with newspaper”
Sezer Kala (34), who harvests watermelons, said the following about the subject: “The weather is hot, but we have to harvest because we value this labor. When watermelons enter the ripening period, they can be damaged by the sun. For this reason, I tried the newspaper method to prevent the sun from burning the watermelons and it was successful. After wrapping our watermelons with newspaper, they were protected from the harmful effects of the sun. We pay approximately 2 to 3 thousand TL per day during the harvest and processing process. This year, I tried a different planting method and it was successful. The harvest is currently continuing and we are growing watermelons on our 6-7 acres of land. We harvest our watermelons in 80-90 days and sell them from the field for 10-15 TL.”
Kala stated that he sells his products on his own stall and offers natural and healthy watermelons to his customers. He expressed that he is happy to receive the reward of his efforts in watermelon cultivation.
