The “Olive Producer Meetings” organized in collaboration with the Near East University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Food Engineering and the Irfan Günsel Research Center were held with intense participation. The event, which brought together many expert olive producers and scientists from the Near East University, was attended by the Dean of the Near East University Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. Özge Özden, the President of the TRNC Chamber of Agricultural Engineers (ZMO), Erkut Uluçam, the Director of the Agricultural Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Cem Karaca, and many students.
The opening speech was given by Prof. Dr. Özge Özden and Adana Olive Production and Marketing Cooperative President Dr. Mehmet Güler and Near East University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Food Engineering faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Güler were speakers at the event. The event aimed to increase individual and sectoral awareness on olive diversity, fertilization biology and productivity enhancement techniques and discussed the genetic, biological, physiological and morphological characteristics of olive varieties in Northern Cyprus.
The event, enriched with scientific presentations, included the determination of productive olive varieties, pollinator selection, and analyses on the adaptation abilities of olive trees. The event focused on topics such as fertilization, pollinator selection, productivity-increasing methods, and maintenance practices. In addition to scientific information, participants also gained comprehensive information about current olive production techniques and practical solutions.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Güler: “Quality and efficiency can be increased by making the right choice!”
Making a presentation on the morphological, physiological and genetic characteristics of olive varieties, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Güler said, “The morphological, physiological and genetic characteristics of olive varieties are of great importance in terms of productivity and adaptation.” Stating that in addition to morphological characteristics of olive trees such as leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds, physiological characteristics such as drought resistance and early or late ripening also affect the production process, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Güler emphasized that genetic analyses play a critical role in identifying varieties, determining their resistance to diseases and evaluating their regional adaptations. Stating that “Quality and yield can be increased by selecting the right variety,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Güler stated that the local olive variety that has been grown in Northern Cyprus for many years was registered under the name “Ada Yerlisi” in 2024. Stating that there are approximately 600 thousand olive trees on the island, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güler reported that the most densely populated of these are in İskele, Girne and Gazi Mağusa. He also emphasized that there are 11 thousand acres of planted olive land, 2 producers, 200 olive oil factories and 17 pickled olive facilities in Northern Cyprus. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güler stated that scientific analyses conducted according to the International Olive Council (IOC) criteria are of great importance in terms of determining agricultural policies and production strategies, and noted that an average of 5 thousand tons of olives, 15 thousand tons of olive oil and 2 tons of pickled olives are produced annually in Northern Cyprus.
Dr. Mehmet Güler: “The way to increase production is through correct fertilization techniques!”
In his presentation, Dr. Mehmet Güler, who focused on fertilization methods and plant nutrient deficiencies in olive farming, emphasized the importance of fertilization by touching on the suitable growing conditions of the olive tree. Dr. Güler stated that the amount of organic matter in the soil is increased and the productivity of olive trees is increased with the “Green Fertilizer” technique. Emphasizing the importance of maintaining the pH balance of the soil and carefully applying sulfur during the fertilization process, Dr. Güler stated that fertilizers should be applied to a depth of 15-20 cm into the soil, parallel to the crown projection, and underlined that the soil should be processed immediately after fertilization. Addressing nutrient element deficiencies in olive trees, Dr. Güler stated that yellowing of the leaves, weak shoots, and flower shedding are observed in nitrogen deficiency, while purple coloration of the leaf tips, weak roots, and delayed fruit ripening are experienced in phosphorus deficiency. Güler said, “Potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, boron and iron deficiencies also cause various growth and yield problems in olive trees. Quality and yield in olive production can be increased with correct fertilization techniques. The way to increase production is through correct fertilization techniques.” Dr. Güler concluded his presentation with the words; “I wish you never miss olives and olive oil on your table.”
Prof. Dr. Özge Özden: “We offer olive oil quality analysis services at EU standards.”
Prof. Dr. Özge Özden, in her speech at the opening of the workshop, stated that olive and olive oil production has a strategic importance for our country and drew attention to the need to increase scientific studies in this field. Stating that olive, olive oil, beekeeping and honey production are among the important research areas of the faculty, Prof. Dr. Özden said, “Within the AGRI-VET Research and Application Laboratory, we offer olive oil quality analysis services to regional producers at EU standards.” She conveyed the faculty’s contributions in this field. Stating that the joint studies carried out with the Seville La Grasa Institute in Spain, Çukurova University and İzmir Bornova Research Institute have greatly contributed to the efforts to increase the efficiency of beekeeping and honey products, Prof. Dr. Özden said, “Our collaboration with the Naples Sustainable Plant Protection Institute in Italy has also been an important step in this field.”
