According to Kurdpress, Hasan Turhan, an agricultural engineer, is cultivating various crops in the village of Qorçik in the Gimgim province, where residents have turned to animal husbandry instead of agriculture for years, in an attempt to encourage villagers to return to agricultural production.

Agriculture is one of the most important sources of livelihood in Turkish Kurdistan. In Kurdistan, the province of Mush also has an important place in the agricultural sector.Different climatic conditions in different counties of Mush have made it possible to grow a variety of crops. However, in Gimgim (Vartu) county, agricultural production has almost reached zero. The altitude of 1,650 meters and the rugged terrain of Gimgim are among the factors that have negatively affected agriculture. On the other hand, in lands suitable for agriculture, farmers have abandoned production for at least half a century due to high prices and lack of support. In the village of Ghorchik, a part of Gimgim, no crops have been grown for decades.

Hasan Turhan, an agricultural engineer who aims to encourage people to engage in collective production by growing potatoes in this village, spoke about his goals in this regard.He said that he had returned to his hometown to produce after working in different cities for many years, and that he had decided to return to his village with a sense of duty to his homeland. Turhan, pointing out that most of the livestock activities are carried out in Gimgim, added: "Agriculture has been abandoned for about half a century. After agriculture stopped, most people turned to livestock farming and agriculture was marginalized. Now there is almost no agricultural production in Varto. In some areas, only barley, wheat and alfalfa are grown. When agriculture was booming, the lack of equipment was very serious. Despite all those limitations, people worked. But today, although machinery and equipment are available, the land is not cultivated. The reason for this is the tendency of society to use ready-made products. Agriculture requires a lot of labor, a lot of effort and a lot of patience.The prices of gasoline and diesel, the high cost of machinery, and the fact that producers do not earn a decent income from their products are among the most important reasons for abandoning production.”

Production conditions in the region

Regarding the reason for choosing potato cultivation, Turhan said: “This region has a cold climate and potatoes are also a crop that loves cold. This crop is ready to be harvested between 120 and 150 days after planting. In this region, spring only arrives in June. If planting is done in June, the harvest will be in late September or the first two weeks of October.

In addition to potatoes, I have a few other crops in mind. I am currently trying to encourage a few farmers to produce. If I can get them back into production, I plan to look for alternative crops. I will leave potato production to my friends and experiment with growing other diverse crops myself.I have decided to try crops such as watermelon, pumpkin and melon. I will check the harvest time, the amount of fertilizer needed and the nutritional needs of the plant through experience. After reaching a definite conclusion, I may change the type of crop.

The land where I have cultivated is 6 decares. I have planted potatoes in 5 decares and in another decare I have decided to grow crops such as watermelon, pumpkin and melon. At present, our production continues in this way.