Brown skunk nightmare continues in hazelnuts

In the Black Sea region, which has most of the world’s hazelnut production and market, an insect called the brown skunk has caused serious damage to hazelnut production this year.

The insect, called the brown skunk, infests Black Sea hazelnut orchards and damages plants, and continues to pose a huge threat to farmers this year.

While farmers said their produce was damaged, many people and institutions reported it to the authorities. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said it was “conducting necessary studies with relevant departments to crack down on traders and vegetable vendors who are trying to buy produce from producers at a lower price using the brown skunk as an excuse.”

A call from the good party Yilmaz

Enver Yilmaz, deputy chairman of the IYI Party, asked all units to disinfect open areas and indoor spaces in Ordu Province against brown skunks that damage hazelnuts, with the specific date to be determined by the state.

In a press statement issued in Taklipazari, Altynod district, Yilmaz said hazelnuts are important both for Black Sea farmers and the country.

Yılmaz said the brown skunk pest entered Turkey in 2016 and hazelnut producers are currently facing it. “This skunk pest is like an epidemic among hazelnuts. It is the coronavirus of hazelnuts.”

Noting that skunks produce 3,000 offspring each year, Yilmaz said: “Twenty-five percent of producers in some parts of Ordu are suffering from skunk pests. I call on the government to take immediate action to get rid of this trouble. “If immediate measures are not taken, this will happen next year regardless of the altitude. ” “This will plague our hazelnut producers across the province,” he said.

He said “Hazel is dead” and took action

Onur Güngör, a hazelnut producer from the Ordu-Fatsa district, protested at Fatsa Cumhuriyet Square to draw attention to the brown skunk, which has recently increased in the central Black Sea region and damaged the products of many producers.

Güngör, writing “Hazelnut is dead, Fatiha goes to his soul” on a representative coffin and live on social media, said: “We are not here for propaganda. We will not share anything political here. As hazelnut producers, we are looking for I did not enter the garden this year, according to my calculations, I took samples from the garden and gave them to the merchants. “So, I lost 5 million liras. The producer just said that he lost 15 million liras, and these figures will be reflected in the merchants and transactions tomorrow, which is why we have to create a shock effect so that this incident is taken seriously and preventive measures are taken. But today, I still see that those who we believe to be the authorities or those who brought our demands to Ankara do not care,” he said.

“Maybe they will hear us.”

Güngör said the brown skunk pest has a negative impact on hazelnuts. “I am a farmer who is part of the Farmers Registration System (ÇKS). I did not collect hazelnuts in my 16-decare garden due to skunk damage. I mowed 16 plots with a sickle and cleaned the garden, which cost 37,000 TL.” “Poor people like me lost 37,000 TL in addition to collecting hazelnuts. Now, maybe this incident will have a shocking effect, these photos will spread, and they will hear our voices.”

Statement from the Ministry

The General Directorate of Food and Control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said that next season, the fight against brown skunk pests will continue to intensify, about 140,000 units of pesticides will be used, people will be determined intensively, and 300,000 samurai bees will be released into nature.

The ministry also said, “We are conducting necessary studies with the concerned departments to crack down on traders and greengrocers who try to use the excuse of brown skunk to buy the product from producers at a lower price.”