The famous Emcelli Pepper is disappearing

In the district of Sarıgöl in Manisa, the place of century-old ancestral seed-grown peppers, which have a geographical indication registration, has been taken over by vineyards. The number of pepper producers in the once pepper-filled plain has dropped to five. In the Emcelli neighborhood, which is part of Sarıgöl district in Manisa, the production of bitter and sweet Emcelli peppers, which have gained fame in the Aegean Region and have been grown with ancestral seeds for centuries, has come to the point of extinction. The number of farmers producing peppers in the neighborhood does not exceed five, and with the increasing prevalence of viticulture each passing year, production is steadily decreasing. Emcelli peppers, which were sold for 200-250 liras when they first appeared on the market, are now sold for 40-50 liras. Neighborhood headman Sezai Küçüközkan stated that in the past, every family grew peppers in their gardens and sold them in the Sarıgöl and Alaşehir markets, ...