The gum harvest has begun in Çeşme, with a price of 12,000 TL per kilogram.

In Turkey's most popular holiday destination, the district of Çeşme in İzmir, the eagerly awaited mastic harvest has begun. Mastic producers are currently dedicating time to the harvest in the district, carefully collecting mastic from century-old trees that are marked with geographical indications. The collected mastic is then meticulously cleaned and sold for 12,000 TL per kilogram. While an average of over 100 kilograms of mastic is collected throughout Çeşme, the fragrant mastic is used in various fields such as food and cosmetics.

THE GOAL IS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL OF TURKEY

As mastic trees become more widespread in the famous holiday resort, producers are preparing to plant 200,000 mastic saplings. Producers are progressing towards becoming one of the regions with the highest mastic production in the world, dethroning Greece's Chios Island. İbrahim Topal, who has been producing mastic in the district for 30 years, stated that they aim to meet not only Çeşme's but all of Turkey's mastic needs. Topal explained that they want to popularize mastic trees, noting that 12 tons of mastic are officially imported from Greece's Chios Island every year, and that the country's needs will be met with the planned afforestation campaign.

Topal said, "There is nearly 100 kilograms of production in Çeşme; but this is not enough. Our goal is to produce as much as we consume. When we say produce as much as we consume, we import 12 tons of mastic from Chios Island every year. Through unofficial channels, we import around 20 tons of mastic. We pay around 250-300 million lira to Chios Island, which meets the needs of the entire country. We want to produce this ourselves, and that is our goal. To produce this, we need to plant 200,000 trees. Until 5 or 10 years ago, 200,000 trees was a significant number; but with our air rooting technique, it is no longer a problem. We can produce 15,000, 20,000, or even 25,000 mastic trees annually. We want to make this a national mobilization. It is a strategic project for our country regarding mastic trees," he said.

"WE HAVE AT LEAST 5 TIMES MORE LAND THAN CHIOS ISLAND"

Topal stated, "Mastic is not only used in gastronomy; it is not just for chewing. Mastic is found in the pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics, paint industry; it is truly a strategic product. This year, we want to plant 20,000 saplings. If we see mastic as a national development project, we must produce and popularize the right mastic tree. Chios Island has an area of 904 square kilometers and 5,000 families in 22 villages produce mastic. Our area is only 250 square kilometers in Çeşme, and it can be in every area. Urla is 600 square kilometers, Karaburun is similar, and it can also be in a part of Seferihisar, even if it is not of this quality. In terms of mastic's growth potential, we have at least 5 times more land than Chios Island. We want and believe that mastic will be the main actor in both tourism and agriculture in Çeşme; it will be a locomotive. Tourism can also happen alongside mastic. In this sense, it is very beneficial to plant mastic trees on lands that are under the state's monopoly," he added.