Konya Expands Raspberry and Blackberry Production Through Seedling Support Program

Seedling support provided by Konya Metropolitan Municipality as part of its rural development initiatives is creating new income opportunities for farmers while contributing significantly to the diversification of agricultural production.

Already cultivating a wide range of crops, from aromatic plants to drought-resistant varieties, Konya has recently made remarkable progress in raspberry and blackberry production.

Thanks to grant-supported fruit seedlings distributed by Konya Metropolitan Municipality, orchards established across the province are positioning Konya as an emerging competitor among Türkiye’s leading producers of these fruits.

Commenting on the initiative, Uğur İbrahim Altay, President of the International Association of Agricultural Cities and Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, said their primary goal is to improve living standards in rural areas and help farmers generate higher income from the same amount of land.

“As part of our support programs, we have distributed 37,200 raspberry seedlings and 56,700 blackberry seedlings to our farmers to date. Our aim is to diversify the range of agricultural products in Konya, the center of Türkiye’s wheat, barley, and sugar beet production, and create new sources of income for our farmers. Seeing the raspberry and blackberry seedlings we distributed now reaching high productivity gives us great satisfaction and encourages us that we are on the right path,” Altay said.

İshak Dikilitaş, a farmer from Çukurağıl Neighborhood in Beyşehir district, said that with the support of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, they transformed their family farmland, where they had previously grown wheat, barley, oats, and chickpeas, into raspberry and blackberry orchards.

Highlighting the growing presence of greenery and alternative crops in the region, Dikilitaş said, “I currently have 150 blackberry plants and around 100 raspberry plants. Last year, I harvested between 500 and 600 kilograms of fruit, selling it for between 100 and 150 Turkish lira per kilogram. Raspberry and blackberry cultivation was largely unfamiliar to farmers in Konya. First, the Metropolitan Municipality supported the initiative, and then other producers who heard about it began purchasing seedlings themselves. Thanks to the municipality’s support, this type of production has started to spread across Konya. May God bless our Metropolitan Mayor. We sincerely thank him for his support.”