In GÜBRETAŞ's model production areas project, the first harvest was made in Taşköprü garlic.

Harvesting has started in the model production areas created by GÜBRETAŞ for plants commonly grown in different parts of Turkey, in order to increase efficiency and quality in agricultural production. In Kastamonu Taşköprü, where the first harvest was made, 2,800 kilograms of dried garlic were obtained per decare, while the leading producer from the same land removed 2,320 kilograms of product from the decare.
GÜBRETAŞ, the leading company in the plant nutrition sector, continues to create added value for the agricultural sector with its activities aimed at popularizing conscious agriculture, as well as the innovative products it develops. For this purpose, GÜBRETAŞ created a model production area for 21 types of plants in 33 locations in Turkey in 2021. The first harvest of 2021 was carried out in the model area established for garlic in Taşköprü district of Kastamonu. In the field of garlic model production, obtaining products above the yield averages of Turkey, the province and the leading producers made the producer happy.

During the season, conscious agricultural practices were carried out under the consultancy of expert agricultural engineers in half of the eighteen-decare land, while in the other half, the producer continued to feed plants with traditional methods. The model production area work in Taşköprü, the homeland of garlic, was completed with a productive harvest. According to the results obtained by the producer with his own methods, 20 percent more yield of dried garlic was obtained from the model field.

In the land where an effective and balanced fertilization program was applied, a yield of 2,800 kg per decare was achieved, while the yield obtained with the producer application was 2,320 kg/da.

With the plant-specific feeding program implemented in the model production area, the leading producer received 211 percent more product than the Kastamonu provincial average, according to TÜİK dried garlic yield in 2020. In the project, which aims to increase productivity by ensuring optimum fertilizer consumption, the leading producer purchased more garlic per decare, once again demonstrating the contribution of conscious agricultural practices to the economy.

“I look at garlic like a baby”

Project partner, leading producer Enver Bayar, expressed his experiences throughout the season with the following words. “Since our cultivation areas are limited, it is very important to remove more product from the unit area. Our lands are not suitable for mechanized agriculture. When we work with the machine, the efficiency cannot meet our expectations. We can only buy 800-900 kg of dried garlic. That's why we plant, maintain and harvest garlic with human labor. It is a product that requires a lot of effort. “I have been taking care of garlic like a baby for ten months in order to get a quality and abundant product.”

Stating that he realized the importance of soil analysis and correct fertilization, the producer said, “When I applied according to the prescription prepared by agricultural engineer friends after soil analysis, I saw that using fertilizer consciously helped my productivity increase even more. When we understood what the soil wanted and gave it appropriate fertilizer, garlic gained weight. "When the crop is abundant, income also increases," he said.

Leading producer Enver Bayar pointed out that plant nutrition should be done in a balanced way and said, “Although I got high yield compared to the regional average, I realized that I had not been feeding plants consciously until now. "I saw that I could obtain more abundant and higher quality crops with conscious fertilization," he said.

“We Increase Productivity and Quality with Conscious Plant Nutrition”

GÜBRETAŞ General Manager İbrahim Yumaklı said in his evaluation on the subject, "With the model production areas project, we are developing ways to increase the productivity and quality of agricultural products that have high economic value for our country."

Talking about the contribution of the model production areas project carried out by GÜBRETAŞ to the agricultural economy, Yumaklı said, “Within the scope of the project, we have established nearly 100 model production areas for more than 15 agricultural products in the last four years. Unlike traditional grower habits, we implemented plant nutrition programs created with scientific methods based on the results of soil and leaf analysis. We achieved significant productivity increases in products with high economic value such as hazelnuts, olives and almonds. “These examples guided our producers to show how conscious agricultural practices will increase productivity.” said.

Speaking about the model production area activities carried out in 2021, General Manager Yumaklı said, “We contribute to the harvest of high-quality products with high market value by providing consultancy to our producers in the model production areas we carry out in different parts of Turkey. This year, we continue to deliver our agricultural consultancy activities on plant nutrition to our producers in every part of our country, working with 21 different plants in 33 locations. The first harvest we made within the scope of the project was a garlic product that was branded and registered with a geographical indication. "We care that this momentum in garlic production continues with increased productivity and quality for Taşköprü's economy," he said.

General Manager Yumaklı, regarding the contribution of the increase in productivity to producer incomes and the national economy, said: "Although the producers who opened a part of their land to us in the regions where we implemented the model production area project want to continue farming with traditional methods, thanks to the effective fertilization programs implemented under the consultancy of our expert agricultural engineers, the yield is above the regional and producer average." When they buy it, they witness the importance of using fertilizer consciously. Our project partner producers also experience the importance of balanced and regular fertilization in order to obtain the highest possible productivity and quality product through effective fertilization programs carried out in model areas. "Thanks to the productivity increases, we are making a significant contribution to the agricultural economy in creating the supply that will meet Turkey's consumption," he said.