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In Central Anatolian province of Sivas, the early start to the honey harvest due to excessive heat in the geographically certified ‘Zara honey’ pleased producers with its yield and quality.
In the district preferred by honey producers due to the abundance of oregano and sage plants, 400 producers are engaged in production in 30,216 hives.
Zikri Bedir, Secretary General of the Zara Agricultural Chamber, stated that the honey harvest began early due to the hot weather.
Noting that the yield was better than expected despite the early harvest, Bedir said that they had obtained 900 tonnes of honey in 2024 and were expecting a yield of 1,200 tonnes this year.
Emphasising that the quality was also good, Bedir recommended that beekeepers have their samples analysed.
Increase in production compared to last year…
Enes Kuzu, who has been beekeeping in Zara district of Sivas province for seven years, said, “I produce geographically marked honey. Zara honey is well-known, our region is rugged, mountainous and has 8,000 varieties of flowers. The reason Zara honey is famous is because of the temperature differences between night and day and the wide and widespread vegetation.”
Kuzu also noted that Zara honey has a very distinct aroma due to the abundance of oregano and sage plants, adding:
“This year is much better than last year. Last year, each hive produced 10-15 kilograms of honey. This year, the yield ranges between 20-30 kilograms. In the lower elevations, it ranges from 20 to 25 kilograms, while in the higher elevations, it can reach up to 30 kilograms. This year, we have a very beautiful, dark and aromatic honey. We are quite satisfied. I have approximately 50 hives and we can achieve a yield of up to 1,200 kilograms. We store our honey every year. We have samples from the 2023 and 2024 harvests. We will also store a sample from this year’s harvest. Due to the extreme heat, we started the harvest season a bit earlier.”
