18 varieties in Alanya! A great example

Hybrid seeds create dependency on external sources and a lack of continuity in production, making heirloom seeds increasingly important for vegetable production. Ziraat Chamber President Göktepe stated that 18 types of heirloom seeds have been obtained in Alanya.

Alanya Ziraat Chamber President Tahir Göktepe mentioned that, as part of efforts to identify heirloom seeds, they have reached 18 local and national seeds and sent 10 seeds each to requesting producers and producer candidates. To break free from external dependency in agriculture, traditional seeds are being passed on to future generations.

THE 100-YEAR STORY OF SEEDS

Göktepe emphasized the importance of heirloom seeds, saying: “Our priority is to pass on heirloom seeds with a 50-100 year history to the new generations. We collect seeds from our rural producers who have been growing them for years. We have 18 types of heirloom seeds and we try to deliver them to new and interested producers as much as possible. We prioritize products that are essential to us, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, zucchinis, sunflower seeds, beans, chickpeas, okra, and watermelons. Recently, we harvested tomatoes and are separating the seeds. We provide a maximum of 10 seeds to producer candidates, and if we obtain the same quality product after four plantings, we include it in the heirloom seeds.”

HEIRLOOM SEEDS ARE 30% MORE PRODUCTIVE

Göktepe stated that heirloom seeds have maintained their DNA unchanged for years and that they do not use plant protection and fertilization products, saying: “We do not want the DNA of our seeds to be altered. During the harvest season, we only collect seeds from the bottom of the plant; you cannot continue heirloom seeds from the top. We only use sulfur at specific intervals to ensure quality ripening. We observed that compared to hybrid seeds, we get 30% more yield. There is no difference in water consumption. Heirloom seeds are also much more resistant to diseases. We are doing this work to break free from external dependency. We continue production using our own seeds. However, it is not possible to obtain this from hybrid seeds, and we ask our people to pay attention to heirloom seeds to ensure that we are not left without them in case of political reasons or issues with imported seeds.”