The harbinger of spring, plums have started to appear on the stands. Plums, which experienced a decrease in harvest due to frost, are finding buyers for 450 liras per kilogram. The plum harvest has begun in the Silifke district of Mersin. Depending on the quality, plums are finding buyers for prices ranging from 150 to 450 liras per kilogram. Packaged products are being exported not only to the domestic market but also to countries like Holland, Germany, England, Dubai, and Arab countries. Zeynep Akay, who has been growing plums for about 35 years, drew attention to the yield decrease this year. Akay stated, “We used to harvest about 12 tons of plums every year on our 10-acre land. However, this year, due to the cold and harsh winter, we could only get 2 tons of product. Considering the labor costs, this season was quite difficult for us.” “DEMAND IS THERE BUT WE CANNOT MEET IT ADEQUATELY” Plum trader Burhan Özgen also mentioned the difficulties in the export process. Özgen said, “I have been trading plums for 4-5 years. However, this year the harvest is only a third of last year’s. Export has just started; we are sending plums to Holland, Germany, England, Dubai, and Arab countries. But the prices are very low and the other party demands higher quality products. We are facing difficulties because they do not provide a price. Both us traders and producers are affected by this process. The demand is there, but we cannot meet it adequately yet.”