Production of Carob trees, once known as Black Gold, has fallen from 3,000 to less than 200 tonnes per annum, ‘Kibris Postasi’ reports.
The Carob Growers Union president, Ali Cil drew attention to the fact that the carob tree is facing extinction. Cil said “in order to support two local factories, the government has prohibited the exportation of carob tree wood thus reducing the cost of the product.
This implementation however has not benefitted the producers at all and has led to their lack of interest in growing the trees now”. A kilo of carob used to cost 1.50TL; the price now however has dropped to 80 kurus. With such a drop in value, the only use for carob is for firewood.
Mayor of Tatlisu, Ahmet Hayri Orcan for his part, indicated however that special interest was being given to the carobs in that area and added that “carob producers were facing a pricing policy and no incentive or support to grow the product”.
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