Historic Record in Dry Bean Production

Historic Record in Dry Bean Production According to a statement made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Minister Bekir Pakdemirli held a video call with Veysi İşler, a farmer harvesting dry beans in Bitlis, which has risen from 50th place in 2002 when it produced 12 percent of Turkey's bean output to 3rd place last year. The meeting was attended by Mehmet Hasdemir, General Director of Plant Production in Bitlis, Rıfat Çelik, Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry in Bitlis, and Necat Demir, Chairman of the Ahlat Agricultural Chamber. Noting Bitlis's important role in this year's nationwide production of over 300,000 tons, Pakdemirli said, "We have come from a Bitlis that produced only 655 tons of dry beans in 2002 to a Bitlis that produced over 32,000 tons last year. There has been approximately a 60-fold increase over the past 19 years. In 2021, we hope to be producing 40,000 tons. Looking at the last three years, there has been an increase of over 100 percent." Emphasizing that efforts and support given for dry bean production have yielded results, Pakdemirli stated: "Turkey's dry bean production has increased exponentially over the years. In 2020, a record in the history of the Republic was broken in production. I thank all producers, farmers and stakeholders for their success. This success is the success of our producers. Thank God Bitlis has seen abundance this season. May God be pleased with you all." Bitlis farmer İşler expressed satisfaction with the production and stated that with the Ministry's support, they will increase production further.