UK-based Serhat Ozgen, managing director of Naturel Gida in Turkey and Growers Direct in the UK is the man responsible for its introduction.

The first arrivals – some 200 tonnes – came in during the 2002 season trucked across Europe by refrigerated lorry and this season Naturel Gida is planting 200 acres. 'We had to educate farmers and workers in Turkey which took us four months,' said Ozgen. 'Soil tests and lab results were quite impressive and we planted 50 acres of land and used drip irrigation on 20 acres of its. Seeds came from all around the world.' And the product has been described as the 'best natural squash in the UK market,' by one supermarket technologist. 'The reason for that is simple,' said Ozgen. 'If you have the right climate, an unexhausted soil and natural growth without chemical treatments, you will get a perfect squash.' Other supermarkets and wholesalers are now interested and the company's target for 2003 is 1,500t for the UK market.

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