Walnuts in abundance on lands leased from the state for 49 years at no cost

In the village of Karaağaç, which is part of Edirne's İpsala district, the walnut harvest has begun on 2,000 decares of land that the state has leased rent-free for 49 years, on the condition that walnuts are planted. The local people continue walnut production, which has become a traditional occupation, through cooperative efforts. Walnuts shaken from the trees by a shaking machine are collected by male and female workers working together. The harvested walnuts are processed in peeling and drying machines to be made ready for sale. The produced walnuts are sent to leading dried fruit companies in Turkey. "We produce walnuts as a family" Tanju Özgür, who stated that they produce walnuts as a family in the walnut-famous village of Karaağaç, said, "First, we shake the walnut trees with machines to drop the fruits. Our female workers fill the buckets and transfer them to sacks, while the male workers load them onto trailers. We bring them home from the trailers and put them in the ...