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http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=102852

Figs hit by drought, not fewer wasps

AYDIN-İZMİR – Anatolia News Agency

Despite reports in the British press claiming that fig production in Turkey has decreased due to fewer wasps, experts in Turkey argued that wasps have nothing to do with the problem, but that drought was the real reason behind the decrease in production. The decline in the number of wasps accounts for a 50 percent drop in fig production compared to previous years, according to an article posted on the daily Guardian’s Web site last Monday. However, fig producers disagreed. �The greatest enemy of the fig will be the wasps, in case it rains in August and September. But we have not faced this problem for the last three years,� said Yusuf Ene, chairman of the Fig Union Cooperative of Aydın’s Söke district. The main problem is the drought, which decreased both the yield and the quality of the fig, he said. �Normally, we produce 130 tons of figs here annually, but this year we could get a total of only 60 tons. We do not think that the decrease in the annual fig yield stems from the wasps, as stated in the media,� said Ene, and added that they had the same problem three years ago. However, the reasons then were found to be different.

The primary reason for the decrease in the crop is the drought and the secondary reason is voles, said Ahmet Şenel, board member of the Germencik Chamber of Agriculture. �The voles, which gnaw the trees, cause the fig trees to dry out. We cannot get efficient produce from these trees after one or two years, which causes financial loss,� said Şenel.

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