In Akşehir They Switched from Cherry to Almonds: Demand Outstrips Supply

Akşehir in Konya is one of Türkiye's cherry-producing centres. But rising labour costs and marketing problems are pushing growers toward alternative crops. The district agriculture office says Ferragnes, Ferraduel and Makako almond varieties can be evaluated in the Akşehir landscape.

Tahsin Zerek, a retired teacher turned grower in Yarenler neighbourhood, says problems in cherry production led them to seek alternatives. They started with a 5-decare trial; when results were positive, they expanded. "The orchard is in its seventh year. The result is cheering. We switched entirely to almonds."

Zerek started with Ferragnes and later added the Laurenne variety. Spraying is comparable to cherries but harvest is easier. The biggest advantage is storability: "You can pick 50 decares with 3 workers. Once dried and bagged, you can sell whenever you want."

This is a familiar theme along our own Eşme and Güney route, where we work with almond growers: cherry and almond flowering periods can overlap, and some varieties flower after cherries. Our growers in Dereköy produce sesame and poppy, and in Eziler tarhana — shaped similarly by marketing and labour pressures. Almond, like tarhana, stores well and sells out of season — its biggest advantage for the grower.

Source: Yeni Şafak, 1 October 2026.