The days are counted for the harvest of 'narlı' and 'vezir', Turkey's first registered industrial hemp seeds, which are domestic and national hemp developed by the Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Hemp Research Institute.

Harvesting of narlı and vezir hampvarieties registered in 2021 will begin soon. The hemp planted in early May will be harvested in mid-October. The length of hemp, which is used in many fields from food to textiles, has reached 4 and a half meters. As a result of multiplying the seeds of the narlı planted on 11 acres in the Trial Station of the Black Sea Agricultural Research Institute and the hemp named vezir planted in the Gökhöyük TİGEM region of Amasya, they will be put into the service of many farmers who want to plant cannabis in 2023.

"We started working on different sweet products such as pastry."

Ürününü satabileceği bir yer bulduktan sonra çitçi, kenevir üretmede herhangi bir sıkıntıyla karşılaşmadığını görmüş olduk" dedi.

Giving information about the usage areas and harvesting of hemp, OMU Hemp Research Institute Director Prof. Dr. Selim Aytaç said, "We planted hemp in the field at the beginning of May. It is currently planted in the field on an 11-decare land. We have done our checks, approximately 15-20 days later, our fibers will be harvested. Studies are continuing in the use of hemp as milk. We started working on different sweet products such as pastry. We need more time for production. Our country needs more time for widespread production. A great deal has been made in textile. Currently, yarns and textile products made up of 55-60 percent hemp have started as boutiques. In line with the needs of the industry, the production has decreased a bit compared to last year. The producer has a tendency to plant hemp if the work related to the industry becomes clear and develops, as it brings a little more income than other competing products. Market conditions and continuity are very important, especially for the farmer. We've observed no difficulties in producing hemp after finding a place where the farmers can sell their products,".

"The seeds will be at the farmer's service in 2023"

Stating that the narlı variety reaches an average of 3 to 4 and a half meters, Prof. Dr. Selim Aytaç said, "This year has shown a good development. Despite using no chemical pesticides, the wild crop population is quite low. The plant has provided good competition. As you know, 2 varieties were registered in our country in 2021. These are 'vezir' and 'narlı'. Both varieties have been registered by OMU and the Black Sea Agricultural Research Institute. Vezir variety continues to be produced in Amasya Gökhöyük. The production of narlı continues in Çarşamba. We will have obtained approximately 1 ton of seeds from narlı and 3 tons from vezir. These two varieties will be put into servicefor of the farmer with multiplied seeds in 2023"

Machinery Developed for cannabis harvesting

Businessman Murat Kocaballı, who came from Istanbul to see the hemp, said, "Mechanization is needed most in the harvesting part of hemp. Farmers had the most difficulty in the harvesting part. We developed a machine 2 years ago. It has slowly started to become more efficient now. This year we will harvest for the first time in Professor Selim's narlı trials in Çarşamba. In this way, we will save time and labor and reduce costs. I think we will pave the way for the farmers in terms of planting hemp."