In the Akhisar district of Manisa, one of Türkiye's important olive production centers, production was reduced due to the cyclicality, often called the “off-year” cycle, but the quality satisfied the producers.
Producers have begun harvesting olives in Akhisar, one of the leading olive growing centers with about 17 million olive trees and facilities.In Akhisar, which produces about 35% of Türkiye's black olives and 70% of its green olives, last year's production was about 350 thousand tons. Although a serious decrease is expected this year due to its periodic nature, the quality of olives remains satisfactory.Chairman of the Akhisar Commodity Exchange Alper Alhat told AA reporters that the quality of table olives in the region this year was at its highest in recent years.Stating that this year's Akhisar table olives were of very high quality, Alhat said, “Our producers have seriously struggled with quality for a year. Last year was the year of 'being there'.” This year, we are in a “low” year due to the inherent periodic nature of olives. But we are in a year where the quality is very high. The olives on our trees this year were of incredible quality. “We think our producers and consumers will be satisfied with good olives this year because of the quality,” he said.Stating that the number of olive trees in the district is reaching 17 million, Alhat said this growth is positively reflected in quality with the support of technology and government. Alhat said the quality of the district's table olives has reached world standards and most of the packaged olives on the shelves are sourced from Akhisar.Pointing out that Türkiye has achieved the highest income in the history of the Republic with 255 million 310 thousand dollars of olive exports in the 2024-2025 season, Alhat said: “We are talking about a market that will increase exports every year. First of all, production is increasing in the country and when production increases, the market also increases. Everyone is talking about global warming. We are starting the years in which we will increase the planting sector olives. Because rival countries, such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Tunisia are producing table olives.” They will be left behind in production due to drought. If we can achieve irrigation projects and especially rain harvesting methods with support in Türkiye, Türkiye will be at the top of the world rankings for table olives in the coming period. Stating that Akhisar was previously known for tobacco production, Alhat said, “We have transferred our labor and hard work in the tobacco sector to olive trees. Today, the fact that our producers go out to the fields, olive groves and tend to the trees is a sign of this effort.” he said.
