Harvesting rubies of figs from the gardens of Namhil Khalkhal
Seyed Mostafa Moradkhani: These days, the heavenly fruit of figs is harvested from the orchards of Namhail Khalkhal, which is available to hardworking families in this village.
An effort to cultivate the pure sweetness of tasty figs in the shade of dormant orchards along the roaring Ghezel Ozan River in late August, and now in the date palms of the south of the country, it is the season of harvesting the delicious fig fruit in the northwest of the country.
Whenever the name of a fig is mentioned, the white figs of Estahban, Qom and Shiraz come to mind; But apart from the taste and quality of figs in desert areas, these days the garden of the fig fruit paradise city of Ardabil province is witnessing the efforts of men and women from Namhil village.
Harvesting figs Despite seasonal employment in the village, brokers and buyers have opened their doors to the gardens and the village gardens have become a market.
In addition to the red and black color of Khalkhal figs, its sweet taste has robbed it of other fruits.
But Namhili gardeners say that now the cheap sale price of figs at the price of 3 to 4 thousand Tomans, not only has not relieved their tiredness, but the ability to wait for a year in this area will be plundered in a short time.
In addition to fresh food, figs are also eaten dry and in jams, and due to the low shelf life of this product, the existence of processing plants is one of the main needs of such areas.
Behbood Alizadeh, director of Khalkhal Agricultural Jihad, regarding the importance of tree crops in Khalkhal, said: Improving the cultivation pattern in some native items of fruit trees such as walnuts is being done in the city and now despite the fact that Khalkhal city does not have a flat and plain space for agriculture. But in the field of horticulture, it is one of the most talented cities.
Referring to the beginning of the harvest of subtropical figs and the fact that the only income of Khalkhal villagers is from horticulture, he explained: Khalkhal horticultural products have found a good market in the country in terms of being organic and Khalkhal Agricultural Jihad Office from investing in packaging and Sorting is supported.
Alizadeh called the creation of large packaging units to help farmers as one of the demands of farmers and emphasized: with the establishment of large packaging units and cold storages to process products, the added value of products will definitely increase and will ultimately benefit farmers.