ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Yamenan village in Kamyaran city in western Iran’s Kurdistan province is renowned for its raisin production, a practice that dates back a century.
The locals here use the traditional Bolaw Kishmish method to produce their raisins. Dried branches are burned beneath a large pot, and the resulting ash is mixed with water. The grapes are then dipped in the mixture, called Xoshaw, before being left on rooftops to dry.
Mohammed Raheem Khatteri, a 60-year-old orchard owner, has produced raisins this way for 50 years and would like to continue doing so.
“We would like to dedicate our lives to making raisins. I have 50 years of experience, and it is a profitable job,” he said.
The women of the village are also involved throughout the process. “The other women and I then pick them up, set aside 20 kilograms of the raisins for ourselves, give some to our relatives, and package the rest in boxes to sell,” Saadiya Khatteri, an orchard owner, said.
Raisin production has boosted the local economy. The villagers earn more by producing raisins than they would by selling the grapes.
According to the agriculture authorities in Sanandaj, orchards in Kamyaran cover 8,500 hectares, and raisin production in the area dates back a century.
“Orchards in Kamyaran cover 8,500 hectares of land. 6,700 hectares are irrigated, while 1,800 hectares are rainfed orchards,” Kamal Roustami, director of Kamyaran’s Agriculture Department, told Rudaw.
“The province’s total grape production amounts to 174,000 tons from both rainfed and irrigated land. Most of the grapes are produced on 15,000 hectares of rainfed land. Another 6,900 hectares are irrigated,” explained Azad Shafiyi, an expert at the Sanandaj Department of Agriculture.
