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Press release…
Çeşme Mastic Gum Production is Growing!
Çeşme District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry carries out important projects to boost and develop the production of ‘Çeşme mastic gum’ within the İzmir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry. The number of gum trees, which was 1000 in 2010, surged to 30,000 in 2024 with the works carried out. There are also 50,000 gum saplings ready for planting.
The mastic tree draws attention with its resistance to thirst and fire. It also prevents erosion by protecting the soil. Original mastic gum trees in the world are grown only in Chios Island of Greece and Çeşme district of İzmir
Areas of Use…
Çeşme mastic gum is used in many food products such as mastic coffee, mastic ice cream, mastic cookies, mastic lemonade. It also has an important place in cosmetic and medical fields. It attracts great interest worldwide, especially for stomach ailments.
New Projects and Future Goals…
Gum production areas are being expanded in Çeşme. 750 decares of gum trees were already planted. Three large plantation areas were established in the district.
In addition, gum tree planting projects continue in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). It is aimed to plant 2000 mastic trees. With this project, the TRNC’s need for mastic gum will be met.
In 2024, the Turkish Patent Institute granted a geographical indication certificate for ‘Çeşme mastic gum’. Now the process for the European Union Geographical Indication Registration continues.
The future goal is to increase annual production to 5 tonnes by 2030 and to end Türkiye’s import of mastic gum drops and become able to export.
Evaluation Meeting…
An evaluation meeting on the Çeşme mastic gum project was held at Izmir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry. İzmir Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Mustafa Şahin, Çeşme District Director of Agriculture and Forestry Ahmet Keçeci and related personnel attended the meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, Izmir Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Mustafa Şahin said that Çeşme mastic gum is a great value for the region.
“With the work we do, we aim to both increase production and carry this valuable product to the world market. We believe that we will achieve this goal together with our agricultural organisation and producers. As Izmir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, we will continue to support these projects,” Şahin said.
Çeşme District Director of Agriculture and Forestry Ahmet Keçeci made a detailed presentation about the projects.
“We will continue to support our producers with the projects carried out by Çeşme District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry within the Izmir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry. We will continue our efforts to introduce Çeşme mastic gum to the world!” Şahin added…
