The "Apple Festival" is held in Dvoran/ Amid the difficulties and concerns of farmers

2024-10-24 11:46:00, Qyteti im CNA

The "Apple Festival" in the village of Dvoran in Korça has been one of the most special festivals of the autumn season for years. This celebration is already a tradition for this village, which remains one of the villages that first took root of this product in 1956. The warm and lively atmosphere, this year has also gathered different residents and visitors who have seen the fair with varieties of apples from the farmers of the village, as well as having fun in the company of friends and family.

The "Apple Festival" is intended by the municipality as a promotion opportunity for farmers who have been cultivating and selling this product for years, but also with the aim of developing tourism.

Serian Bregu is a farmer of this area, who cultivates apples since 2006 and has inherited several varieties, starting from golden apples, starkinge, fuji, and varieties that enter the market every year. For Seriani, this holiday is important for the very fact that Dvorani is known as the village of apples, where this agricultural culture has become a tradition between generations.

"Our farm has a history since 2006, when we started with apple cultivation. The main autochthonous varieties we have inherited from our farms is gold, we have starking, new varieties like fuji and others that enter the market every year. our area doesn't need much advertising because it's been a tradition for many years since the first apple root was planted in 1956. It's just a holiday that remembers the apple, let's be proud that we as Dvoran have this holiday, as Polena has the lakrori festival. It is a festival that gathers everyone together in one day."

The "Apple Festival" is organized every year at the time when the apples are harvested. The farmer shows the problem that has accompanied them in recent years, saying that the price at which they sell it is low. According to him, the costs have increased, including the labor side, while the previous momentum that everyone was looking forward to the moment of collecting and selling the product has also fallen.

"This year, in some orchards we have the problem with the hail, while in other plots we have very high-quality products despite the price being a little low. This is the only thing that affects us. To this day, the apples have not yet come out of the cold rooms, they have simply been piled up While the pure varieties such as goldi are sold for 400 lek (old), there are other varieties with different numbers that change the price of the apple. The costs have increased a lot, and it is no longer the same previous momentum that we've had that desire to continue."

Another farmer from the village of Dvoran who became part of the celebration with a stand where he promoted several types of apples, is Arjan Baki, who has been dealing with this agricultural culture for 10 years. He highlights the problem of production, saying that it has not been abundant compared to years, while the sale has not been at the right price, suffering its halving.

"I have been involved in apple cultivation for at least 10 years, because I was an immigrant in Greece and I returned. The main varieties are gold, starking and grannysmith. The production has not been abundant, there were more years, but the sale has not been the right prices. Last year it was sold at 600 lek (old), this year it was sold at 350 lek. The 'Apple Festival' itself is a good advertisement for our village and the apple."

The students and teaching staff of the Professional School of Services were also part of the celebration this edition, who promoted some of the dishes where the main product is apples at their stand. The representative of the Department of Agriculture in this school, Eranda Tërpini, has shown that the apple is the king of fruits in the area of ??Korça, and with this product, the students have brought dishes such as cakes and sugar apples, but also its by-products such as juice and wine. apple.

"The apple can be called the king of fruits in the area of ??Korça, as an agricultural country with early contemporary traditions, it has experience and continuity in terms of apple production. I am from the Professional School of Services, I represent the department of agriculture and here we have brought varieties of apples that are cultivated on the basis of our school. The dishes are sugar apples and sweets, products such as apple juice, apple wine, which we produce and offer to the participants of the fair."

Eranda also shows the great value that this fruit has for our health, while stating that it can also be used in the pharmaceutical industry.

"The apples that are cultivated in the district of Korça are starkinge, golden and hajdar apples that have been cultivated for years in our school. They are apples that have high nutritional value, vitamins and are good for health. The apple also has a very good aroma that can to be used in the pharmaceutical industry and serves the daily life of the individual, who must have an apple on the table."

"Apple festival" is one of the most special festivals of Korça, which takes place in the village of Dvoran, where the cultivation of this fruit is a long-standing tradition. Although farmers have encountered difficulties in the marketing of agricultural crops in recent years, this activity is intended to give due importance and to promote this product, while the goal remains the development of tourism./ CNA