Organic Tea Production and Tea Breeding in Turkey: Challenges and Possibilities

Abstract

Tea production can be seen at the zone beginning at the Georgia border of the Black Sea region up to the Fatsa dis trictof Ordu in Turkey. Tea production areas are present foremos tly in Rize, followed by Trabzon, Artvin, Giresun and Ordu.These regions are representing the top zone tea production areas in the World. The region beginning from the Georgianborder up the dis trict Araklı represents the mos t suitable and primary high yielding tea plantation areas in Turkey. Tea isthe mos t important income resource of people settled in this region. With the switch of the Hemşin dis trict to organic teaproduction and with future plans to switch also in Rize gradually to organic tea, in public organic tea production havebecome important. İn this present work the changeover to organic tea production in Rize, the use of organic fertilizers,possible changes in production and marketing and also general challenges and possibilities are discussed.