In Didim, a symbolic olive harvest event was held on monumental olive trees in cooperation with the district governorship, municipality and chamber of agriculture.
The event was hosted as part of a cooperation between Didim District Governorate, Didim Municipality and Didim Chamber of Agriculture. The first event was held at the monumental olive tree on Akdeniz Street in Efeler Mahallesi. The second was held at the memorial tree in Fevzi Paşa Neighborhood.
District Governor Can Kazım Kuruca and his wife, Didim Mayor A. Deniz Atabay, Didim District Police Chief Yunus Dinç, Didim District Gendarmerie Commander M. Gani Solak, Didim Chamber of Agriculture President Hilmi Yıldırım, chamber presidents and managers, directors of public institutions and organizations. , politicians and citizens attended the events.
Speaking at the harvest event in Fevzi Paşa Neighborhood, Didim Chamber of Agriculture President Dr. Hilmi Yıldırım stated that there are such monumental trees in many parts of the world, but the trees in Didim have a story and history.
He said, “It is possible to come across monumental trees in many parts of the world and in many parts of our country. However, none of them has the story and history of our monument trees in Didim.
“According to what Aristotle told, Thales used his mastery in meteorology to predict that the next season would be fruitful for olive growing during the winter months. Accordingly, he rented all the olive presses in Miletus and Chios. When the olives were ripe, Thales owned a monopoly and re-leasing the presses to others at a price he determined. He showed science and wealth accumulation are linked.
“Although Thales entered the history as the first of the 7 wise men of the west with his philosopher and mathematician and many other features, he also took his place as the first olive trader, the first oil tycoon and the first person to shop by making a forward contract.”
Stating that the trees harvested in Didim are olive trees dating back 2500 years, he said, “These trees that we are harvesting today have much more meaning and value as they are olive trees from the time of Thales, who lived on this land 2500 years ago. No monumental tree in the world has such a universal history. When you touch these trees, you can connect with the past thousands of years.
“As the harvest season begins, we have our problems, but with our problems comes new hopes. While we are worried about the problems that our farmers are experiencing these days, the fact that the prices of olives are lower than expected, we believe that we will overcome them with brand new projects with the support of our esteemed District Governor and Mayor.”
Didim Mayor A. Deniz Atabay stated that they are trying to explain Thales’ knowledge about science and mathematics through the meetings they organize.
Expressing that the olive presence in the region is increasing every year, Atabay said, “There is a second job search in Didim besides tourism, but we can put agriculture next to tourism by using the permanent and nature-given opportunities.
“The first product we can put in this is olive; At this point, we, as Didim, are a seedling in olive cultivation. We are still small, our number is close to 2 million; We have very few businesses.
“In this regard, it is not a situation that can be done alone, private lands were evaluated in this sense. Space needs to be opened; There are invasions. When it comes to a certain stage, there are some penalties. Either we will evaluate them, which is difficult, or we have to open these places for olive cultivation.
“It should be distributed as in land reform. I think the state should step up and make a proper planning and increase the number of olives in the fields.”
Didim District Governor Can Kazım Kuruca said: “We want to carry the power we have taken from the history that will create the future together in agriculture to the future. We need cooperation for this. In 2002, since 2018, 706 farmers were given 28 acres of land within the scope of the Agricultural Reform. The number of olive farmers in Didim is 976; 706 of it was developed with this project.
“Our olive count is low, below our potential, but our current number of trees is around 1.5 million. With the power of our state, we have the power to increase this figure from 1.5 million to 15 million. We will continue to support our farmers with projects.
“We should be the ones who process and market the fruit as we produce it. It will give us strength by getting the support of our state and other units.”
After the speeches, a symbolic harvest was made; followed by a folk dance show. At the end of the event, refreshments were served to the guests.