“Guba’s white apples, apples to eat…
I bought an apple from Guba, I sent it to half…”
The Guba apple, whose name was once sung and considered the most beautiful present, is in need. Farmers complain about the poor quality of apples, their lack of sale, and the decrease in their value, while experts… I wonder what the problem is? Is the Guba apple, which has become popular around the world, losing its fame?
Poor farmers cannot sell apples
Farmer Rashad Najafi has a one-hectare apple orchard in Guba. He says that after the fruit harvest, they can’t take the cost they put in during the year. For this reason, they are forced to abandon apple cultivation: “The Russian-Ukrainian war and the sharp devaluation of the ruble had a serious impact on the fall in the price of fruits, especially Guba apples. In recent years, the proliferation of company gardens in the northern region seriously hinders the sale of simple, poor farmers.”
“Our expenses are more than our profits”
It is known that in order to continuously obtain an abundant and high-quality product from orchards, it is necessary to take appropriate agrotechnical measures according to the season. According to the farmer, the high prices of medicines complicate the situation of farmers: “The price of the medicine used to protect fruits from pests is extremely high. Imagine, during the year, it is required to spray the orchard at least 20 times. We farmers cannot afford to buy so many medicines. Even if we do that, the amount we spend is more than the cost of the product we sell. Because it is not only medicine, but there is also the cost of pruning, fertilizer, and harvesting. It is necessary to do these things normally so that you can get a good harvest on time.”
There are many products in the domestic market
Rashad Najafi says that he is currently storing the products he collected from the apple orchards. He says that if there is a buyer for a good price, he will sell it: “Storing is not beneficial for us either, because if it stays too long, the juice of the apple will be drawn, it will become lighter and the quality will decrease. Previously, we easily sold to the Russian market. We are unable to do so at this time. However, we have to sell to the domestic market, which does not meet our demand. Because there are many products in the domestic market. The company’s gardens supply the domestic market at any level.”
Are the people of Guba canceling their apple orchards?
According to the farmer, the people of Guba are canceling their apple orchards and replacing them with fruit that sells better for money: “Sprinkling medicine with equipment costs 30 manats per hectare. In order to finish harvesting on time, additional manpower is needed, one box is collected from 80 kopecks, 30 kopecks is the cost of transportation, and 40 manats is for bringing the tractor to the yard. The people have canceled their apple orchards and are planting fruits that ripen quickly and are sold more expensive than apples. Mostly, they prefer foreign varieties. For this reason, the apple orchards planted by simple farmers in Guba are decreasing every year.”
Buyers are misdirected
From our conversation with the farmer, it becomes clear that the poor quality of medicines also creates a serious problem in agricultural products. Our interlocutor claims that the amount of the main substance in the medicines used in agriculture is low: “For example, we buy medicine, it is written on it that you need to add 100 grams of medicine to 10 liters of water. There are times when we even pour more than the dose written on it, but it does not help. There is no control over drug stores. Everyone brings the product they want and sells it as they want. Most of those who work in drug stores do not have agronomy qualifications. Therefore, buyers are misdirected.”
Classic varieties are not grown
Madat Gurbanov, the leading expert of the Guba Regional Training Center, Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences, says that the biggest problem with the Guba apple is that classic varieties are no longer grown: “The quality of the Guba apple has not decreased, but the proliferation of company orchards in the northern region has affected the work of ordinary farmers. The biggest problem with Guba apples is that the old varieties are no longer grown. Most importantly, local varieties are suppressed. The number of apple fields planted by ordinary farmers has decreased. Company gardens meet modern standards and new, modern varieties are planted. Farmers also lose to these farms in the competition.”
“Napoleon”, “kitayka”, “antonovka”…
The expert emphasizes that “Jirhaji” and “Gızılahmadi” are now left among our local varieties: “There used to be a variety of “Napoleon” that was widespread in our gardens, but now it is impossible to find it. Because these apples are not marketable. That is, since “Napoleon”, “Kitayka”, “Antonovka” are not sold in the market today, they are not planted. Today, it is possible to find “simirinko reneti”, “gizilahmedi”, “cirhaji”, “sinab” varieties in more or less gardens. Unfortunately, everyone is currently working for the market. The market has its own rules. That’s why classic apple varieties are not grown.”
Apple orchards were replaced by cherry orchards
According to M. Gurbanov, currently farmers in Guba prefer cherry orchards: “A farmer has a certain area. He is forced to provide his livelihood by cultivating the field. He also plants whatever kind of fruit he can turn into money. For example, the number of cherry orchards in the northern region is increasing every year. Because there is a lot of demand for cherries. But apples are not. In the northern region, there are about 15-16 thousand hectares of company gardens that are irrigated with drip irrigation system and work with modern technology. The quality and standard of the apples grown by them is high. There is no demand for apples grown by farmers. Therefore, they are forced to remove the apple and plant the fruit that brings more income.” (“Kaspi” newspaper)
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