After the hailstorm, damage assessment in the vineyards has begun
In the Alaşehir district of Manisa, damage assessment works have started in the vineyards following yesterday's hailstorm.
The rain mixed with hail that suddenly struck around 6:00 PM yesterday caused damage in the vineyards in Alaşehir. The rainfall affected an area of 20 thousand hectares in Tepeköy, Caberfakılı, Işıklar, Killik, Gümüşçay, Caberkamara, Ilgınköy, Çakırcaali, and Sobran neighborhoods. The Alaşehir District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry has started damage assessment works. While farmers repair broken and fallen vine poles in their vineyards, they have requested the postponement of their debts to banks and the Agricultural Credit Cooperative.
AK Party Manisa Deputy Mücahit Arınç, accompanied by Alaşehir District Governor Alper Faruk Güngör and Manisa Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Metin Öztürk, along with AK Party Alaşehir District Chairman Fedai Kozan, conducted inspections in the affected areas. Listening to the farmers at the neighborhood coffeehouse, Mücahit Arınç, speaking in the vineyard, said, "We are in the Killik Neighborhood of Alaşehir, one of the most important districts of Manisa in terms of grape and viticulture. Unfortunately, yesterday we experienced a situation that we experience every year, which is customary. One of the difficulties brought about by global warming is unfortunately the change in climates, the occurrence of extreme heat, and natural disasters. Yesterday, a hailstorm occurred, and it significantly affected approximately 20 thousand hectares of vineyards in seven neighborhoods here. We are with our governor and provincial agricultural director together with our producers. We have made our assessment. Manisa is very important in terms of these fertile lands and our desire is for this produce to go to foreign markets as exports. It is our duty to heal the wounds together in the events that occur. As the state, we will make our assessment, we will not victimize our farmers. We just spoke with our Tarsim regional manager. We will work on quickly making assessments for farmers who have Tarsim insurance and then try to compensate them financially. We will evaluate the postponement of the remaining debts of our farmers, primarily by our state, including our Ministry of Agriculture. We will evaluate together what measures can be taken for security precautions such as netting systems and hail protection, their pros and cons, and their potential effects. We will take preventive measures together and heal the wounds together."
Manisa Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Metin Öztürk said, "We have started damage assessment works as the District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry. For our producers who have insured their vineyards, Tarsim will start from tomorrow and will finish by the holiday. We will determine both those with Tarsim insurance and those without it as the District Directorate of Agriculture. No one will be victimized. There is a new normal in the world. We may face situations we have never encountered before. Our strongest weapon is the agricultural insurance mechanism we have. We need to use this mechanism very well. We have started the assessment works today. After making the assessments and receiving your requests, we will send them to both agricultural credit cooperatives and the bank. Thus, the process of postponing debts will also start. However, there are some maintenance works for the damaged vineyards. Let's not neglect them. Let's not neglect spraying and Bordeaux mixture applications. Because we need to protect the vineyards. They are injured now. They can be exposed to diseases due to these injuries.