A farmer in Mersin is planning to have a record harvest of zizifus

In the Tarsus district of Mersin, farmer Ibrahim Gul, who started growing ziziphus just 2 years ago, plans to harvest 15 tons this year!

"I started growing ziziphus in 2021. From the second year onwards, the trees in my garden started bearing fruit. Now we harvest about 100 kilograms from each tree. Then we send the fruits to Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Bursa, where they are also sold as dried fruit. Due to its nutritional value and medicinal properties, the demand for ziziphus is constantly growing. This season, we are selling it for 40 liras per kilogram," the farmer said.

What is ziziphus?
The fruit has several common names, such as "Chinese date" or "ziziphus real". The Turkish name is hünnap, but locals often call it "the fruit of immortality". And that's for good reason! Ziziphus is one of the top five best medicinal plants on the planet, next to ginseng and eleutherococcus. Ziziphus fruits have been proven to normalize blood pressure. In Eastern countries, people suffering from hypertension often use ziziphus fruits instead of pills.