The harvest period of the Finike Orange, which has been produced in the Finike district of ANTALYA since the end of the 1800s and has the title of the best orange in the world, has begun. Annual production of approximately 350 thousand tons of Finike oranges, the sale price of the garden reaches 6 liras.
The Finike orange, which was selected as the ‘best orange in the world’ in a competition held by the California University of the USA in 1998, and was granted a ‘geographical indication registration’ by the Turkish Patent Institute in 2008 upon the application of the Finike Fruit Producers Agricultural Association, is the ‘Washington Navel’. a type of orange.
FIRST SEWING IN THE LATEST 1900S
Mehmet Baysarı, the third generation name of the Baysari family, one of the families that established one of the first citrus orchards in Finike, told the process from the first planting of the Finike orange, which was determined as the orange with the highest sugar content as a result of scientific analysis. Mehmet Baysarı, who is also a former deputy of Antalya, noted that the first citrus orchards in Finike were formed in Turunçova by planting towards the end of the 1800s.
AN ORANGE CHOSEN IN THE WORLD FIRST
Stating that Finike is the first place where citrus production started in both Turkey and Antalya, Mehmet Baysarı said, “The place where the most oranges are produced is Finike. In the 1800s, the ‘jaffa’ type began to be planted. It is a product whose commercial value increased more with the planting of the orange, which we call Washington in the late 1800s, and which is now called the Finike orange. Finike orange is the world’s best quality orange in a study conducted by the University of California, and it is an orange that has been named the world’s first orange.
BUT ENOUGH FOR DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION
Noting that it is now a famous orange all over the world with its aroma, taste, smell and thin peel, Baysarı said, “Everybody tries to hit the Finike brand on the oranges you buy all over Turkey. Thereupon, our Finike Fruit Producers Association received a geographical indication for the Finike orange about 15 years ago and the Finike orange registered its own brand. From now on, it has become a product that is sold all over the world with this brand. But in fact, Finike orange does not go to export very much. Because the price is high and the quality is very good, it is barely enough for domestic consumption. It is an orange that is sold in Turkey rather than exports,” he said.
ANNUAL PRODUCTION AMOUNT CLOSE TO 350 THOUSAND TONS
Noting that the orange production in the district has generally continued at the same level over the years, Baysarı said, “The amount of cultivated area has decreased due to greenhouse cultivation, but since the maintenance has become more technical such as spraying and fertilizer, the yield has increased and the yield per tree has increased a lot. We have regions that grow up to 350-400 kilos per tree. There is an annual production capacity of 300-350 thousand tons in Finike. The total land area of Finike is around 35 thousand acres, of which 20 thousand acres are used as orange gardens and 15 thousand acres are used as greenhouses.
THIS YEAR THE PRICE OF THE GARDEN IS 6 LIRA
Stating that December is the harvest period for Finike oranges, Baysarı said that although it looks green on the outside, it becomes edible in the region in October-November. Mentioning that the orange did not gain much value economically for many years, Baysarı said, “While it was sold between 1.5 and 2 liras until last year, this year the prices have come to a good point. It is at a salable point between 4.5 and 6 liras, which is a normal figure that can save the farmer,” he said.
DEMAND NEVER END
Expressing that the demand for Finike oranges will never end, Baysarı continued:
“Whether there is a pandemic or not is not very important for Finike oranges, since Finike oranges are mainly sold in the country, they are barely enough. But due to the pandemic, there is an increase in both price and demand for citrus fruits in Adana, Mersin. I think it has come to a good point in those areas now. Finike orange no longer needs advertising. We are considered to be one of the first producers in this region, we can say that our grandfathers are local and first producer garden owners.”
THE DIFFERENCE OF FINIKE ORANGE
The features that distinguish the Finike orange, which is produced in the plains between the high mountains and the coast, from the oranges grown in other regions, are expressed as follows in the Geographical Indication Registration Document:
“The fact that it is covered with high Akdağı to the north and Gülmez Mountain to the west. As a result of filling the soil with the alluvial soil with the Akçay and Alakır streams for years, it makes it different with its air, water and soil structure. Saplings bought from Finike and planted in other regions cannot carry the same color, quality and aroma due to the absence of these factors in those regions. Average fruit weight is 237.69 grams, length 78.36 mm, width 77.53 mm, peel thickness 5.26 mm, number of slices 10.25. The number of seeds is zero and the dry matter rate is 12.4%. It is very rich in terms of components, minerals and vitamins. It is the most favorable orange in the domestic market and export in December, January and February.” (DHA)
