As Aydin prepares for the annual olive oil harvest, authorities have thwarted a major fraud said to be worth 1 million Turkish Lira.

Food fraudsters caught

In an operation by gendarmerie teams in Efeler district of Aydın, 88 boxes of fake olive oil with a market value of 1 million liras were seized.

A tax fine of 550,000 liras was imposed on three suspects who toyed with public health, and legal proceedings were initiated against them.

The teams from the Aydın Provincial Gendarmerie Command Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department and the Efeler District Gendarmerie Command launched the operation targeting individuals trading spoiled and altered food upon receiving a tip.

The teams stopped a vehicle carrying fake olive oils to be taken from the Efeler District to Denizli by suspects named RA, EA, NA at the Serçeköy Road Checkpoint in the Efeler District.

In the checks, carried out by teams from the Aydın Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Finance, it was determined that the olive oils in the vehicle were fake. A total of 1,760 liters of fake olive oil was seized in 88 boxes.

The fake products were seized and delivered to the Aydın Investment Monitoring and Coordination Presidency. Judicial and administrative procedures were initiated against the suspects.

Didim preps for harvest

There are only a few days left for the harvest of table olives in Didim, which has an important olive presence in the Aydın region.

This year, while the extreme heat has ripened the olives, producers are expecting good prices from merchants. Olive cultivation in Aydın is maintained thanks its near- two million olive trees.

In Didim, which has made a name for itself in table olives, especially in the Fevzipaşa neighborhood, as well as in Akköy, Yalıköy, Akyeniköy and Balat, table olives are ready to be harvested.

The Gemlik table black olive harvest, which usually starts in mid-September and early October in the district, ripened early this year due to the extremely hot weather.

Under normal conditions, the harvest, which starts after mid-September, will start early this year, said Halil İbrahim Türkoğlu, a farmer from the Fevzipaşa neighborhood and also a member of the Didim Chamber of Agriculture Board of Directors.

He said: “Olive care and cultivation is the most costly agricultural area; olive cultivation is a difficult job. Table olives are harvested by manpower. They are picked from the branch one by one which increases the cost. This year, our region is in a good, productive year in terms of yield. Input costs are very high and weighing on our backs.”

Olive oil tasting session for Didim Rotaract

Dr. Hilmi Yıldırım, President of Didim Olive Friends Association, gave “Olive Oil Tasting” training to club members at the invitation of Didim Rotaract Club President Buse Avlaycı.

He explained the importance of olive oil to Young Rotaracts and provided information about olive oil tasting. He then gave practical training on how tasting training is done.

Yıldırım said: “The interest and questions of members after the training were promising. I am already excited about new projects for the future in this extremely enjoyable event. I would like to thank them very much on behalf of the Olive Friend Association for their hospitality.”

At the end of the training, she presented Yıldırım with a certificate of appreciation on behalf of Didim Rotaract Club.