322,398 vegetable seedlings will meet the soil in Gümüşhane

Under the Agriculture Land Use Activation Project (TAKE), supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's General Directorate of Plant Production, distribution has commenced for a total of 322,398 vegetable seedlings with a 50 percent grant under the "Seedlings from Us, Production from You" project to enhance small family farming in Gümüşhane.

The project, which has been prepared by our Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry to support greenhouse cultivation and to bring small and fragmented agricultural lands into production, is rapidly increasing in number in recent years and providing a source of income to rural residents. The project has a budget of 1,768,000 Turkish Lira.

As part of the "Seedlings from Us, Production from You" project, distribution of 322,398 vegetable seedlings has begun in the districts of Merkez, Kelkit, Şiran, Köse, Torul, and Kürtün.

Dr. Ahmet Mesut Kıraç, the Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry, provided information about the project during the seedling distribution program held at the Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry. He stated that they aim to take advantage of Gümüşhane's geographical location and unique climatic characteristics in agricultural production. He mentioned that the "Seedlings from Us, Production from You Project," supported by the General Directorate of Plant Production of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, with a budget of 1,768,000 Turkish Lira, is aimed at developing small family farming. The project aims to utilize small and fragmented lands throughout Gümüşhane for profitable productions and distribute a total of 322,398 certified vegetable seedlings, including 156,870 tomatoes, 115,868 peppers, 34,440 cucumbers, and 15,120 eggplants, to producers. Approximately 100 hectares of land, both under cover and in open areas, will be used for vegetable production as part of the project.

Despite the challenging production conditions due to Gümüşhane's climatic characteristics, the quality features such as color, taste, and aroma of the produced crops are excellent. Therefore, the products are highly preferred both within the province and in neighboring provinces, and they hold high market value. Kıraç mentioned that various project works are ongoing to develop vegetable production.

Kıraç stated that they started the seedling distribution first with greenhouse growers and that other distributions will be made within May. He wished success to the farmers in the project and thanked those who contributed to the project.