The 2nd Tropical Fruit Festival organised by Alanya Municipality this year started with the theme of ‘Avocado and Mango’. In the 3-day event, tropical fruits grown in Alanya will be promoted.
The Tropical Fruit Festival, which was organised by Alanya Municipality for the first time last year and received great appreciation, opened its doors for the 2nd time this year behind Alanya City Hall. The festival, which opened its doors to its visitors with the theme of ‘Avocado’ last year, welcomed the citizens with the theme of ‘Avocado and Mango’ this year with the sponsorship of Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ALTSO), Alanya Touristic Operators Association (ALTID), Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV), Alanya Chamber of Agriculture, Alanya Avocado Producers Association, Alanya Banana Producers Association, Metro, Kristal Industrial, Polen Food and Alaiye Water. Important names such as Dr Ender Saraç, Suna Dumankaya, Elif Korkmazel, Nevin Aydın Us, Haldun Tüzel attended the festival where the 100th anniversary of the Republic was the main theme.
STARTED WITH MANGO AND AVOCADO HARVEST
The 3-day festival started with Dr Ender Saraç, Suna Dumankaya, Elif Korkmazel, Nevin Aydın Us and Haldun Tüzel harvesting avocado and mango in the first hours of the day. The participants, who received information from Alanya Mayor Adem Murat Yücel about the fresh avocado and mango they picked from the branch, received important anecdotes about the processes of tropical plants from seed to harvest.
OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY ORGANISED
After the harvest event, an official opening ceremony was held behind Alanya Municipality Palace. Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin, Alanya District Governor Fatih Ürkmezer, Alanya Mayor Adem Murat Yücel, ALTSO President Eray Erdem, Antalya Provincial Chamber of Agriculture President Nazif Alp, Alanya District Director of Agriculture and Forestry Mehmet Rüzgar, Alanya Chamber of Agriculture President Tahir Göktepe, Alanya Avocado Growers Association President Hilmi Sevilgen, heads of chambers and associations, protocol members and citizens attended the opening ceremony.
“WE STAND OUT WITH AGRICULTURE AS WELL AS TOURISM”
The opening continued with the speeches of the protocol members after the ceremony. Alanya Mayor Adem Murat Yücel, who made the opening speech of the festival, said, “We are organising the second of our festival, which we held the first last year and which was highly appreciated throughout the country, with the theme of ‘Avocado and Mango’. Our Alanya has become a city that stands out with its agricultural production as well as tourism. Tropical fruits have a great place and added value in this agricultural production.”
“80 PER CENT OF PRODUCTION IN TURKEY IS IN ALANYA”
“We will process 2 products at our festival,” said Mayor Yücel, “Avocado is the most produced tropical fruit in Alanya. When it comes to avocado, Alanya comes to mind. Our Alanya has a potential of approximately 120 million avocados per year. In avocado cultivation, 70-80 per cent of Turkey’s production is met by Alanya producers. In addition to meeting the domestic market supply, we export avocados from Alanya to about 12 countries every year. Mango is a product that is rapidly spreading in our Alanya. It is a tropical fruit with export capacity and high added value. It currently has 400 producers and a production volume of one thousand 700 hectares. With its long shelf life, fast yield and high economic return, mango makes the producers smile. We think that the production capacity will increase rapidly in our Alanya,” he said.
“WE WANT TO INCREASE THE QUALITY AND PRODUCTION VOLUME OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS”
“As in every field, we have always been with our producers and agricultural stakeholders by leading the agricultural sector, which is one of the locomotive sectors of our city,” said Mayor Yücel, “We will always continue to support agricultural production with the awareness that agricultural production is a matter of national security. As Alanya Municipality, we are organising this festival in order to bring Alanya to the forefront with its agriculture, to support our farmers and producers, to increase the economic share obtained from the products grown in our city, to increase the aroma and quality of tropical products grown in Alanya, to make Alanya the centre of agriculture and tropical products.”
“WE ESTABLISHED A HOBBY GARDEN AND TROPICAL FRUIT PROMOTION CENTRE”
Stating that more than 38 kinds of tropical products are grown in Alanya, the paradise of tourism and agriculture, due to the favourable climate and that about 20 of them have market value, Mayor Yücel said, “The number of tropical products with economic value such as banana, avocado, loquat, papaya, dragon, mango, passion fruit, star, kiwi, citron is increasing day by day. In order to promote tropical products in our Alanya, we established our Hobby Garden and Tropical Fruit Promotion Centre on 40 decares of land in Elikesik Mahallemiz. We will grow 20 kinds of tropical products that bring economic income from 38 tropical products that have been adapted in 7 thousand square metres of greenhouse. In our greenhouse, we will show our local and foreign visitors how tropical fruits are grown and promote these products. I wish that our Tropical Fruit Promotion Centre, which we will open shortly, will be beneficial to our Alanya and our region.”
“WE WILL GROW EVEN MORE WITH COMMON MIND AND CO-OPERATION”
“Alanya is one of the rare cities where tropical fruits can be grown due to suitable climatic conditions,” said ALTSO President Eray Erdem, “As ALTSO, we, Alanya Banana, Alanya Avocado, Alanya New World have registered these tropical products. Again in 2022, we started working on the registration of Carob fruit. With the support of these new products that have the opportunity to grow as well as many products that grow, Alanya has added rich agricultural products to the sea, sand and sun. For this reason, this festival has contributed to every individual living in this city as well as its stakeholders. There is no obstacle in achieving great goals in our Alanya with common sense and co-operation. I would like to thank our District Governor Fatih Ürkmezer and Alanya Mayor Adem Murat Yücel, who have made great efforts in the formation of this cooperation.”
“WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FESTIVAL FOR TWO YEARS”
Starting his speech by saying “I hope we will see our Alanya Mayor Adem Murat Yücel in bigger and better places”, Tahir Göktepe, President of Alanya Chamber of Agriculture, said: “We have been excited about this organisation for years. We applied to our Mayor for this festival, we explained our plan and he implemented it without thinking. Now he is establishing a Hobby Garden and Tropical Plant Production Centre that will provide training support to our producers. May God be pleased with him,” he said. Hilmi Sevilgen, President of Avocado Producers Association, said, “Our biggest desire was to organise such a festival. Our biggest opportunity is Alanya Mayor Adem Murat Yücel. He helps us a lot. I thank our mayor very much.”
THANKS TO MAYOR YÜCEL FROM DISTRICT GOVERNOR ÜRKMEZER
“Although Alanya actually stands out with its tourism, agriculture is really developed at a level that will appeal to all of Turkey,” said District Governor Fatih Ürkmezer, “Our farmers in Alanya are doing good work with the support of our President Adem Murat Yücel, especially for the production and popularisation of tropical fruits starting with bananas. It also has a great contribution to our economy. I would like to thank everyone who is engaged in this business.”
GOVERNOR HULUSIN: “THIS IS A SUCCESS STORY”
Stating that the avocado and mango produced are attractive and high value-added products, Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin said, “The production of these products in our Alanya is the result of great efforts to reach a certain point economically. These are foreign products to this geography. It takes serious labour, capital and effort to produce them here. It is necessary to love your job. Alanyalı farmers have all of them. With the efforts of our Municipality and District Governorship, this success story comes out. There are very serious sales figures. This region used to be known for greenhouses, whatever vegetable farming there is in Alanya, whatever income there is, it lags behind the return of bananas made in the open field. I mean, the added value of such tropical fruits is very high. The market shares of avocado and mango are rising rapidly. There is a very serious potential especially in mango. Moreover, it is also very suitable for water consumption. We should adopt sustainable agriculture in our country as in the whole world. I would like to thank Adem Murat Yücel, Alanya Mayor, who organised this festival and ensured the development of tropical products. This festival suits Alanya very well. Let’s increase our income by blending this with gastronomy,” he said.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SECRETS WERE SHARED WITH TROPICAL FRUITS
After the speeches, Mayor Yücel showed Governor Şahin and protocol members around the area and introduced the products and the festival. Plant Science and Beauty Expert Suna Dumankaya shared the beauty secrets that can be made with tropical fruits for the citizens filling the area. Dr Ender Saraç also shared the health effects of tropical fruits and the secrets of proper consumption with the citizens.
ALANYA’S HEAVIEST MANGO WAS ANNOUNCED
The first day of the festival ended with the heaviest mango competition. In the competition where 12 farmers who trusted their product participated, 10 thousand TL, 7 thousand TL and 5 thousand TL prizes were determined. The winner of the 10 thousand TL grand prize was a farmer named Mustafa Kaya with his 2 kg 94 g mango. 2nd Abdurrahman Yıldırım with 2 kg 92 g won the 7 thousand TL prize and Duran Yıldırım with 1 kg 944 g won the 5 thousand TL prize. The festival will continue tomorrow with the events organised by famous cooks Araz Aknam, Maria Ekmekçioğlu and Şerife Aksoy. Also tomorrow, the Most Beautiful Tropical Garden Competition Award Ceremony will be organised.
