Two brothers, who had been working in flower production in the Netherlands for years, got high yields from the peony production they have started in their hometown of Yozgat 7 years ago and send their products all over the country.
Bulent Hoke and his brother Murat Hoke planted 14,000 peony seedlings they brought from the Netherlands in 2014 on an area of 6 decares in Toprakpinar village of Sarikaya district.
Hoke brothers, who started to improve efficiency in steppe lands in the third year, are trying to fulfill orders from all over Turkey, especially from metropolitan areas.
Murat Hoke: "The price we receive for peonies is satisfactory. It is a product that we would recommend to growers. Its yield and income are very good compared to traditional agricultural products. Peony grown on an area of 6 decares is much more profitable than 60 decares of beet production."
There is no shortage of markets, but we have a shortage of workers, We put the flowers after harvest into the cold storage. When the order comes, we prepare the order and deliver them by bus or by our own vehicle if the order is big enough.
Peony flowers adapted very well to the Yozgat region. Peony is a product that grows in the cold. If it snows in winter, it becomes stronger that year. Prices are more expensive in the Netherlands, they are sold for 1.5-2 euros. Here we sell them for 0.9 USD per stem. . Demand has been higher for us because importers couldn't bring flowers from the Netherlands this year due to the pandemic."
Bulent Hoke said that he continues to work in the greenhouse in the Netherlands and that he comes to Yozgat from time to time to support his brother.
Expressing that he has been growing peonies in the Netherlands for nearly 40 years and wants to transfer his experience to his own lands, Hoke said that growing flowers is a passion.
Source: Haberturk
Image source: Dreamstime