First new type of barley created in TRNC
A NEW type of barley has been created in the TRNC for the first time ever, it has been announced.
A ceremony was held for the first harvest of the drought-resistant “Beşparmak” (Five Fingers) barley, which is said to be a “highly productive and adaptable” variety, at the Güzelyurt Agricultural Research Station.
Agriculture and Natural Resources Minister Nazım Çavuşoğlu, accompanied by Cyprus Turkish Farmers Union president Hüseyin Çavuş Kelle, rode a combine harvester during the recent event.
As a result of “research and adaptation studies” since 2013, Beşparmak has become the first type of barley to be registered with Turkey’s Field Crops Central Research Institute and the Instrumental Research Institute.
The project has been supported by the TRNC Agriculture and Natural Resources Ministry’s Research Institute, the Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Ministry’s Agricultural Research and Policies General Directorate, and has received funding from the Turkish Embassy’s Development and Economic Cooperation Office in Lefkoşa.
Speaking during the ceremony, Mr Çavuşoğlu said that a “new history is being written in the field of production in the TRNC” and that “for the first time a TRNC-produced seed has reached the stage where it will be registered to international standards”.
Trials of the Beşparmak barley seed yielded between 400 and 600 kilos per dönüm of land, Mr Çavuşoğlu said, stating that this figure could rise to 900 kilos per dönüm in years when there is good rainfall.
He expressed his hopes that the Beşparmak barley seed will benefit TRNC producers, farmers and the country’s economy and thanked those who contributed to the project.
Mr Kelle said that seeds should be resistant not only to drought but also to heat due to the TRNC’s climate.
“Today, we are planting hope for our future with this seed,” he said.