Page 53 - Журнал «Русский Берег» #12-2022

RUSSIAN COAST | № 4/12 2022 ГЕРОЙ НОМЕРА | MAGAZINE'S HERO

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD HOW A BANANA TREE GIVES A BIRTH?
ENG 1000 fruits, and there may be 250 and
DOESN'T IT SOUND ABSURD? A BANANA IS A PLANT, AFTER ALL... 300 trees on 2 hectares. At the same time,
MEANWHILE, THE PROCESS OF RIPENING BANANAS IS VERY SIMILAR TO the management company takes care
CHILDBIRTH - A CLUSTER WITH STILL UNRIPE FRUITS LITERALLY “SPITS OUT” of all issues of agriculture itself - hiring
FROM THE TRUNK, WHILE SOUNDS ARE HEARD, WHICH ARE VERY SIMILAR workers, agronomist services, harvesting
and transporting crops to the Depo (this is a
TO CRYING. storage similar to our vegetable base - ed.
YELENA SOLOVIYEVA MERJAN IS DESERVEDLY CONSIDERED AN EXPERT note). It remains for the owner just to come to
IN THE BANANA BUSINESS. 12 YEARS AGO, SHE LANDED UP IN TURKEY. a plantation like to a country house.
- Now the prices on everything are rapidly
AT FIRST EVERYTHING WAS QUITE TRADITIONAL - MAGICAL HOTELS IN growing, - continues Yelena Soloviyeva
BELEK AND SIDE, BUYING AN APARTMENT, A REAL ESTATE BUSINESS, Merjan - over the past 4 years, the cost of
VERY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS, BY THE WAY. AND NOW, THE OWNER OF A land has increased significantly. You have
BANANA PLANTATION. probably noticed that the first thing you see
from the window of an airplane, flying up
n contrast to the accepted stereotypes, Merjan - I am watching our neighbors, the to Alanya, are numerous greenhouses. And
tourism is by no means the main source Turks. The impression is that their life has they continue to build them. As is known,
of income for the Antalya Province. The not changed over the past 100 years. Yes Turkey provides itself with only 30% of
Imain industry is agriculture. In Turkey, the indeed, modern gadgets have appeared, bananas, the rest is imported from Colombia,
specialization of the region in certain crops is but that seems to be all. They don't spend from Ecuador, and it is clear that the
quite clearly traced. For example, Kumluca, much money on anything either, unless they government is very interested in the farmers,
the town of the Antalya Province, is rightfully buy a new tractor, but there is no craving investing in this difficult business. Bananas
considered the “tomato capital” of Turkey. for consumerism here. Men sometimes go need acidic soil, which means an increased
(By the way, in the production of this useful for years in the same traditional costumes, consumption of fertilizers, which are not so
vegetable, the country occupies the 4th women live a life like their grandmothers
place in the world, trailing only China, India lived - family, children ...
and the United States). The Malatya Province - Here, in this world, of course, many
is famous for its apricots, which are exported unexpected things happen - Yelena
annually to the amount of about a quarter of continues - You see that greenhouse over
USD 1 billion. Bananas and avocados are there on the slope? When they started
traditionally planted in the area from Side to building it, an ancient burial was discovered BANANAS are one of the oldest
Mersin. This is the only place in Turkey where - 3 mummies and about 500 kg. of gold food crops, and the most important
bananas grow on the field, but building jewelry. For a long time, everything was food plant, and the main export item
a greenhouse, one can “deceive” nature, blocked by the police here, while the for the tropical countries. Ripe bananas
and harvest 1.5 crops per year. In Alanya archaeologists dealt with the find. The state are widely eaten around the world,
they joke - if you have windows looking out deals with such things very reverently, it and are used in a wide variety of
over the greenhouses, you can be calm. protects history and everything connected dishes. Apart from fresh consumption,
No one will sell this land for building, and with it. But agriculture is also one of the bananas can be fried or boiled both
a beautiful landscape will not be replaced priorities for the authorities. When the in peeled and unpeeled form in the
by a concrete wall of a new building (which pandemic began, we, as farmers, received cuisine of some peoples. They are also
often happens here). a special pass, which allowed us to dried, canned, used to make banana
During the time that Yelena deals with move freely to anywhere in the country. It flour, marmalade, syrups, wines.
bananas, she has learnt everything about works even during the martial law. As the Bananas are also used as livestock
them: that there are “male” and “female” saying goes, war is war, and a peasant, a feed. They are grown in the tropical and
species of this culture, that the “females” are breadwinner is the key figure. Serious funds subtropical areas with the hot humid
three times more prolific than the “males”, are allocated for agriculture from the budget, climate. There are a large number of
that the ideal temperature for the successful various support programs are working, varieties of edible banana species.
growth of bananas is +26/+350C, and at for example, in case of crop failure, etc. From the botanical viewpoint, a banana
160C the growth of bananas slows down So, being a farmer in Turkey is profitable. is a berry, multi-seeded and thick-
significantly, stopping altogether at 100C, And one of the ways to receive the Turkish skinned. The cultivated forms often lack
that the average rainfall should be at least citizenship is to invest in agriculture. This is seeds, which are unnecessary for the
100 mm per month, and much more. still 400,000, but the effect of investing this vegetative propagation. The fruits are
- Agriculture turns out to be a quite different money “in the land” will be much greater 6-30 cm long and 2-5 cm in diameter.
world from the one in which I have used to than that of investing it in an apartment or The clusters or banana stems, as the
live. Here, everything is subject to a special some kind of city real estate. One avocado experts say, can consist of 300 fruits,
order, there is no fuss, and you comprehend costs EUR 1, (at this price the cooperative and weigh up to 50-60 kg.
a lot anew, - says Yelena Soloviyeva society buys it). One tree can bring up to

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