Union of Turkish Agricultural Chambers (TZOB) Chairman Şemsi Bayraktar, stated that Turkiye is at second place at producing melon and water melon in the world after China and waste most of it each year.
According to product balance sheets, Bayraktar said that Turkiye grew 5 million 639 thousand tons melon and watermelons in the period of 2015-2016, has consumed 3 million 410 thousand tons in watermelon, 1.5 million tons in the melon which are 4 million 910 thousand tons totally.
Bayraktar emphasized that 105 thousand 801 tons watermelon waste during produce and 378 thousand 790 tons waste in use. 46 thousand 430 tons melon waste in the production process and 166 thousand 619 tons waste in use added Bayraktar.
According to this, Bayraktar stated that 484 thousand 591 tons of watermelon and 213 thousand 49 tons of melon were wasted in production and usage. “We are losing 12.37 % of the produced water melon, 12.39 % of the melon in production and consumption, this is a great wastefulness.”
ILKHA