With its half-century of knowledge and experience in olive oil, Yudum Egemden has started the Project of Grafting Wild Olive Trees to Introduce them to the Economy and Support Farmers in cooperation with the Seed Association. The project run by the support of İzmir, Muğla and Balıkesir’s Regional Directorates of Forestry and the technical contribution of İzmir Olive Research Institute, and it was introduced in Manisa Davutlar Village. As part of the project, a total of 4500 wild olives to be grafted will be given to the use of farmers through agricultural development cooperatives.
Yudum Egemden and the Seed Association started the Project of Grafting Wild Olive Trees to Introduce them to the Economy and Support Farmers to bring wild olives – also known as oleaster – into the economy and give them to the use of farmers. The project was introduced in Manisa Davutlar Village with the participation of farmers and the event was hosted by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Seed Association, Musa Kaya, and Savola Foods General Manager for Turkey, Houmer Balazadeh.
Starting first in Manisa this year, the Project of Grafting Wild Olive Trees to Introduce them to the Economy and Support Farmers is carried out with the support of İzmir, Muğla and Balıkesir’s Regional Directorates of Forestry and with the technical contribution of İzmir Olive Research Institute. Within the scope of the project, 1500 wild trees have started to be grafted in Manisa for the first time this year. A total of 4500 wild trees will be grafted in Aydın in 2023 and Balıkesir in 2024, with 1500 trees being grafted on each city.
Known for about 8000 years, olive cultivation began in the Sami era in 4000 BC. The olive tree that grows spontaneously in nature is called wild olive or oleaster. Wild olives are grafted and cultivated, turned into cultivars and made fertile. It is estimated that the grafting of the currently existing wild olive trees in Turkey and introducing them to the economy will contribute at least 20 million dollars to farmers and our country.
In the Manisa part of the project initiated by Yudum Egemden and the Seed Association, grafting studies were carried out in Davutlar, Kaleköy, Sarma and Sarıalan villages. The grafted trees will be given to the use of farmers through Agricultural Development Cooperatives established in the villages, which will benefit from the project. Thus, farmers will be supported thanks to the olive trees that will be introduced into the economy.
Sustainability was taken as a basis in the project: A Farmers’ Network will be established, and trainings will be provided
Thanks to the “Farmers’ Network” to be established in the villages, farmers will be informed about all activities, and educational activities and periodic agricultural information will be announced through this network.
Farmers will be provided with trainings on the cultivation, diseases and harvesting of wild olive trees, which are delivered to local farmers through the farmers’ network and cooperatives. The trainings will be conducted face-to-face by experts in the villages.
Musa Kaya, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Seed Association, stated that they have put sustainability in the center of the project, and added: “We are always trying to put forward projects that support nature, agriculture and farmers. The Social Responsibility Project on Supporting Local Sunflower Seed, we launched with Savola Foods Turkey last year was a first in the sector. This year, with the support of Savola Foods Turkey, we have signed a new cooperation to introduce wild olives into the economy. We will provide support to approximately 150 farmers in Manisa, Aydın and Balıkesir by introducing a total of 4500 olive trees into the economy. We will ensure the sustainability of this project through Agricultural Development Cooperatives, regional directorates of forestry and the research institute. We will also provide trainings to our farmers within the scope of the project. It is very valuable for us to have Savola Foods Turkey, the sector leader, by our side in our projects that will contribute to our country’s economy and farmers.”
“As Savola Foods Turkey, our goal is to increase domestic production and support our farmers.”
Houmer Balazadeh, Savola Foods General Manager for Turkey, has also stated that they are excited to sign a new project with the cooperation of the Seed Association and with the support of İzmir, Muğla and Balıkesir’s Regional Directorates of Forestry: “We have nearly half a century worth of knowledge and experience in olive oil production. We are proud to be the leading packaged olive oil exporter in Turkey since 2013. In the Project of Grafting Wild Olive Trees to Introduce them to the Economy and Support Farmers, we have taken an important step to contribute to the production of olives and olive oil with our Yudum Egemden brand and the Seed Association. We are carrying out the project we started in Manisa together with İzmir Regional Directorate of Forestry and İzmir Olive Research Institute. With this project, we aim to support our farmers in every sense, including educational programs. Starting from this year, we will take the olives obtained from the grafted wild olive trees from our farmers, press and bottle them under our Yudum Egemden brand, and bring them to our consumers. In this way, our valuable farmers will also receive the reward of their labor, completing all the rings of the chain.