Bay leaves were exported from Hatay, Turkey

In the Kapısuyu neighborhood of Hatay's Samandağ district, citizens contribute to their families by collecting bay leaves. Bay leaves collected from Musa Mountain, 7 kilometers away, by the residents of the neighborhood, are sent to many countries of the world by being baled after drying and sorting processes. Cengiz Keser, who collects leaves from the laurel tree, said, "We make a living by collecting the bottom or around the laurel trees. We can obtain oil from both the fruit and the leaf of the laurel tree. I have been doing this job for years. Our elders used to do it in the past. Our children will do it after us." Wholesaler Ahmet Yüksel said, "At the moment, the weight of the bay leaf is 1,500 TL. It does not matter whether it is a leaf or a branch. Previously, it was a thousand TL, this year its price has increased. The first of the laurel tree is used as spice and the second is used as oil. This is the villager's livelihood. It is exported to Sweden, the ...