Southeastern Anatolia Project The “Hennaed hands smell like strawberries” project was implemented in cooperation with the (GAP) Regional Development Administration, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry to encourage earthquake-stricken women to engage in agricultural production.
The project, which was first called for in the İslahiye district, included 20 women from 4 rural neighborhoods who applied to the program by the provincial and district agricultural directorates. Following the training on strawberry production, all the support needed from seedlings to fertilizer was provided.
Mehmet Karayılan, the Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry, who visited the producers harvesting in the rural İdilli Neighborhood of İslahiye district, told AA correspondent that their aim in the project was to encourage housewives to produce and open a source of income for them.
Karayılan, who stated that 20 women included in the project were cultivating strawberries on a 20-hectare area, said, “There is labor and great economy here. A kilogram of strawberries is sold for 70-75 liras. Our aim was to generate income with the fertile hands touching the field. We achieved this thanks to the project.”
Karayılan emphasized that they care about and support agricultural production in the earthquake region and expressed his happiness that women contribute to their family budgets.
“WOMEN EARN THEIR OWN MONEY”
Neslihan Sarı, who produces strawberries on a 2.5-acre land in İdilli Neighborhood with state support, said that she is happy to earn her own money as a housewife.
Expressing his happiness in being involved in production, Sarı said:
“We get the strawberry crop in 40 days. They gave us both the seedlings and the medicine. We also got the fertilizer and they provided everything. We offer the strawberries we produce for sale, even if they call us, we send them. Cafes buy them, everyone who hears about them demands them. We make jam from our strawberries at home and give them to our friends and family.”
Pakize Sarıçam also stated that such an endeavor after the earthquake was very good for her both materially and spiritually.
Sarıçam, who stated that while he used to be bored of sitting at home, he now contributes to the household economy, said that he and his wife produce in a garden of approximately 3 acres.
Supporting his wife in strawberry production, Yılmaz Sarıçam stated that they applied to the project on behalf of his wife and contributed to the family budget by working together, and said, “This is quite a laborious job and it is not something that can be done alone. Such initiatives are quite useful in rural areas. Since we grow strawberries naturally, we cannot keep up with the orders.”
Source: www.cumhuriyet.com.tr
