About North Cyprus · Harvest calendar
Harvest calendar of North Cyprus
As of 28 October 2026, the sources opened for this page place the start of the olive harvest in North Cyprus in October (Visit North Cyprus), citrus harvests from September (Cypfruvex general manager Cemal Redif, quoted by İstiklal) and the first ripening of Cypriot prickly pears around mid-July (Politis). Each entry names its source and says whether it is TRNC-specific or island-wide. Timing varies by year, altitude and variety, and this page is a reading guide, not an agronomic advisory or a guarantee of what is on sale.
Checked 28 October 2026 against the sources named in the text and listed below. Positions of parties are attributed to them.
Autumn: September to November
According to Visit North Cyprus, the olive harvest usually begins in October. Karanfiloğlu and colleagues (2025) recorded green maturity of the local Ada Yerlisi olive in early to mid-October and black maturity in the third week of November in their 2011–2012 study years. For varieties, table olives and oil see olive groves and olive oil.
For citrus, Çimen et al. (2019) report satsuma mandarins harvested in September to November and navel oranges in October to December in a 2016 trial at the Güzelyurt Agricultural Research Station. Cypfruvex general manager Cemal Redif, quoted by İstiklal (2 February 2023), says harvests start in September. See citrus orchards of Güzelyurt and Lefke.
The UNESCO Med Diet site and Politis speak of Cyprus without naming an administration, so their entries are labelled island-wide. A lettuce entry from Lefke European University describes growing suitability in Northern Cyprus, not a harvest date.
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Winter: December to February
For the TRNC, Çimen et al. (2019) report navel oranges harvested through December (see autumn above). Cyprus FAQ (13 December 2025) quotes Turgut Akçın placing the start of king mandarin and Valencia harvests in late January to February; the site states that its articles are created with AI assistants, so this is cited only as a reported statement.
Wild and foraged plants appear in Buse Karaer's 2022 Eastern Mediterranean University thesis on North Cyprus dishes. It says ayrelli, the wild asparagus, begins to flower in July to November and sends up fresh shoots in January to February.
Margarita Hadjipieri's 2020 thesis record at the Cyprus University of Technology places loquat in the late winter to early spring period. A Cyprus FAQ guide to Northern Cyprus gives approximately February to March for the start of strawberry field harvests.
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Spring: March to May
İstiklal (2 February 2023) quotes Cypfruvex general manager Cemal Redif saying the citrus harvest could continue until June if the variety mix is broadened. This is a statement about what a broader mix could allow, not a record of a normal season.
Buse Karaer's 2022 Eastern Mediterranean University thesis calls kazayağı a winter plant and says that, for its pickle, it is gathered from the wild until the end of March.
A Cyprus FAQ guide to strawberries in Northern Cyprus says the season of the ground-grown berry falls in spring, with active harvesting from the beds starting approximately from February to March; the site states that its articles are created with AI assistants. For rainfall and temperature background see weather and seasons.
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Summer: June to August
Visit North Cyprus says the carob tree blossoms from July to October and that the crop is harvested before the pod dries out in the summer heat. Karadağ and Aylanç (2020) write that the TRNC government announces harvest periods each year. See carob, hawthorn and local crops.
Visit North Cyprus says harvest at the northern vineyards generally commences towards the beginning of August. Politis (18 August 2026) gives July to August for most fig varieties and calls its months indicative rather than fixed. For what is made from these crops see traditional food and sweets.
Politis (19 August 2026) places the start of ripening for Cypriot and red prickly pears around mid-July.
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Where sources give different months
Several crops appear in more than one source with different months. This block sets them side by side without choosing between them. Differences can come from variety, place, year, altitude and from what the source means by season, such as the first picking, the main selling period or the whole span of availability.
Some entries describe different things: Visit North Cyprus gives the start of the olive harvest, while Karanfiloğlu and colleagues (2025) record fruit maturity; Çimen et al. (2019) report a single trial from the 2016 season; and Cyprus FAQ states that its articles are created with AI assistants.
No entry here is a recommendation for when to plant, pick or buy. For anything that depends on exact timing, the producer, the relevant TRNC ministry office or the local market is the practical check.
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Practical notes
- Labels on each card: TRNC-specific means the source is about the TRNC or its research stations; island-wide (source says Cyprus) means the source speaks of Cyprus without naming an administration, so it may rest on observations from one part of the island; Republic of Cyprus is used only where the source itself says so.
- Timing varies by year, altitude and variety. Figures from research trials describe particular seasons (2011–2012 for Ada Yerlisi, 2016 for the Güzelyurt citrus trial) and are not average dates.
- Çimen et al. (2019) give different mandarin months in the abstract and the results for one month, so only the months that agree are used here.
- This page is a reading guide, not an agronomic advisory, and not a statement of market prices or of what is on sale in any month.
- Crops for which no opened source gave a month are left out, for example almond, walnut, caper buds, pomegranate in the TRNC and hawthorn.
- Spellings differ between sources (for example loquat, yenidünya or Malta eriği; babutsa or hint inciri); this page gives the name the source uses.
Frequently asked questions
When does the olive harvest start in North Cyprus?
Visit North Cyprus says the olive harvest usually begins in October. Karanfiloğlu and colleagues (2025) recorded green maturity of Ada Yerlisi in early to mid-October and black maturity in the third week of November in their 2011–2012 study years.
When are citrus fruits harvested in North Cyprus?
Çimen et al. (2019) report satsumas harvested in September to November and navel oranges in October to December in a 2016 Güzelyurt trial. Cypfruvex's Cemal Redif says harvests start in September (İstiklal, 2 February 2023). Cyprus FAQ quotes Turgut Akçın placing king mandarin and Valencia in late January to February.
When is the carob harvest in North Cyprus?
Visit North Cyprus says the pod is harvested before it dries out in the summer heat, and that the tree blossoms from July to October. Karadağ and Aylanç (2020) write that the TRNC government announces harvest periods each year. No source opened gives the dates.
When is the grape harvest in Cyprus?
Sources differ. The UNESCO Med Diet site (23 September 2022) calls September and October the traditional months in Cyprus. Visit North Cyprus says harvest at the northern vineyards generally commences towards the beginning of August.
When are prickly pears (babutsa) ripe in Cyprus?
Politis (19 August 2026) says the Cypriot and red types begin ripening around mid-July and the white type around September, varying with location and conditions. A 2006 Cyprus Post issue says prickly pear ripens between August and December.
When are figs in season in Cyprus?
Politis (18 August 2026) gives late July to August for Smyrneika and July to August for Vasilika, Vazanata and Napolitana Negra, says Vardika ripens from July onward, and calls its months indicative rather than fixed.
When is loquat in season in Cyprus?
Margarita Hadjipieri's 2020 thesis record at the Cyprus University of Technology says loquat is available in the late winter to early spring period and that the tree blooms in fall and early winter.
When are strawberries in season in North Cyprus?
A Cyprus FAQ guide to Northern Cyprus (undated) says the season of the ground-grown berry falls in spring, with active harvesting from the beds starting approximately from February to March and berries appearing en masse in the markets by the end of spring. The site states that its articles are created with AI assistants.
Is this page a harvest advisory or a market guide?
No. It is a reading guide to timings that named sources report. Timing varies by year, altitude and variety, and the page does not state market prices or what is on sale in any month.
Sources
- Visit North Cyprus: Chakistes (olive harvest)
- Karanfiloğlu et al. (2025): Ada Yerlisi olive, full text (DergiPark)
- Çimen et al. (2019), Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology: early maturing mandarin and orange varieties, Güzelyurt
- İstiklal: how will the citrus market take shape in the TRNC (2 February 2023)
- Cyprus FAQ: orange and mandarin harvest estimate (13 December 2025)
- UNESCO Med Diet: Grape Harvest in the Wine Villages of Cyprus (23 September 2022)
- Politis (19 August 2026): Prickly pear, Cyprus' thorny summer favourite
- Lefke European University: recommendations to TRNC vegetable and fruit producers (lettuce)
- FreshPlaza (8 November 2018): Cyprus potato crisis also in the north of the island
- Karaer (2022), Eastern Mediterranean University thesis on North Cyprus dishes
- Cyprus University of Technology: Hadjipieri (2020), loquat thesis record
- Cyprus FAQ: strawberries in Northern Cyprus
- Visit North Cyprus: Carob Trees
- Cyprus Mail (13 August 2024): Love them or loathe them, carobs making a comeback
- Final International University: copy of the Karadağ and Aylanç (2020) carob article
- Visit North Cyprus: Cypriot Wineries
- Politis (18 August 2026): Figs, Cyprus' summer fruit with many faces
- Cyprus University of Technology library: Cyprus Fruits, Cyprus Post thematic issue (2006)
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