My name is Abdulbaki Oral, I am engaged in farming and I love my job. Before coming to this region, I was growing wheat, barley and clover and breeding sheep in my village at very difficult conditions. As living conditions were tough. I moved to the city center of Van in 1988 and wanted to maintain my profession.
I rented a land in the Edremit district and started vegetable and fruit production between 1990-1993. I was also producing sugar beet and breeding milking cow. I was first informed about the IPARD Program by my friends and television news. Later on, I visited the Van Provincial Coordination Unit of ARDSI and followed the call for application periods. I settled the first greenhouse in Van via IPARD support. Presently, I am producing vegetables in the field and in greenhouse and market my products in the Van vegetable market. The region we are located is the homeland of Sıhke melon, I produce this melon and sell it to the neighboring provinces; Batman, Muş and Diyarbakır. Winter conditions in this region are harsh so I am planning to invest in renewable energy. I have 15 employees in my enterprise however I also employ additional temporary workers according to the intensity of work. Hence I provide employment for 60 persons from this region and they are mostly women. My project became an example for other farmers in the region. In the future I am planning to reduce the unit costs by expanding my business. Moreover, I have an intention to produce milk via IPARD funds if possible.