Monday, 25 April 2022
Over three million dollars of wine, mainly from Turkey, Italy and France, was imported into North Cyprus last year, businessman Mete Boyacı said, Yeniduzen reported.
Boyacı, a partner in the Levent Group, who has invested in a wine production facility, says that North Cyprus can produce its own wine, however after 1974, little has been done to encourage investment in viticulture.
By comparison, there are dozens of wine-producing facilities in the south of the island, which have been supported by EU finance.
In the village of IIgaz, vineyards have been planted over a large plot of land to produce wine for the Etel brand.
The Wine Travellers Club have also promoted wine production in North Cyprus in Ziyamet village in the Karpaz region, headed by Cem Tilki.
He said, however, that bureaucracy is hindering the opening of the winemaking facility.
“ We are opening the doors of the production facility, even though it has not been officially activated yet. The facility has not been activated yet, because there are some bureaucratic problems. They said that we can establish a wedding or entertainment facility here, but we cannot establish a production facility. It’s all our own land, we didn’t buy it from the state.
“We are trying to overcome the bureaucracy problem. We have made a serious investment. We believe in production.
“ People without bonds, we guarantee purchase. We are also working on a cooperative-like formation with a group of friends. We encourage our people to plant vineyards by visiting the villages. We are serious and ready to give a purchase guarantee. Let anyone come, produce their own brand here or sell their product to us, let us produce wine”.
Mete Boyacı’s own brand “Loch Manor” can produce all types of red, white and rose wines including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Öküzgözü, Kalecik Karası, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah.
He has invested 1.65 million Euros in the facility at Haspolat. In an ambitious project, the latest technology has been installed. And is capable of producing 110 tonnes of wine annually. The vineyard, which covers 150 acres, will be developed further.
Boyacı said: “We must stop whining…, we have to live with a solution and production focus. Why should we spend millions of dollars to bring wine from abroad? We can produce it ourselves. Our money does not go abroad, and we can create income for many of our people. Instead of buying from abroad, we can sell it. We have the necessary potential for this, as long as we break the mould, trust ourselves, work, produce and market”.
