In order to produce the best strawberries in terms of flavor, yield and shelf life, the company planted about 600 thousand plants in 14 different species and got better results in some varieties in trial studies.

The company sends its strawberries to the Middle East and various countries such as Cambodia, South Africa, Italy and South Africa.

- “We focus more on yield from now on”

Fatih Özavcı, General Manager of SBT Kurumsal Girişim AŞ, told AA correspondent that since they are a foreign-oriented company, they try to analyze the productivity of strawberry varieties in line with the demands of the countries and send them under the best conditions and get results.

Özavcı explained that the smart greenhouse system meets many standards such as heat curtain, exhaust fan, circulation fan, LED, heating, irrigation system, automation, cold storage, and that the facility also has 5 quality certificates, therefore they are doing their best to achieve high production standards in order to export to the countries they prefer.

Pointing out that since this year was their trial year, they chose varieties by focusing more on customer demand and not on the productivity of the product, Özavcı said “From now on, we will focus more on yield. We export 70 percent of our production on average, we have seen this. Our goal for next year is to be able to produce strawberries with a quality that could reach 90 percent export destination.”

- They mainly send products to Middle Eastern countries

Özavcı noted that they mainly focus on the Middle East, but they also send products to Cambodia, South Africa and Italy, and said, “Countries such as Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Maldives are also demanding strawberries.”

Özavcı said that they also deliver within the country and that traders, markets and patisseries in Istanbul buy their products.

Mentioning that the people of the region love strawberries, Özavcı said that they also distribute the seedlings here to them, and added that they think it is beneficial for them to bring in varieties that are not available here.

Özavcı commented on the benefits of hydroponic agriculture as follows:

“I can say that the biggest benefit is getting all the elements in the nutrient solution we give in the best way when we combine them naturally with light and heat. Since the quality is at a higher level in hydroponic agriculture, it is much easier for us to export abroad. In terms of nutritional values, all strawberries produced in hydroponic farming in Türkiye and in the world are above the strawberry standards. In other words, it has aroma and nutritional values above the production in the soil. Therefore, hydroponic agriculture will always be advantageous. At the same time, we get more yield because we plant more plants than in the soil.”

Stating that their target production capacity is between 400-600 tons, Özavcı said how much of this will be realized will be revealed next year.