Press release…
Muğla…
According to the new report, it is possible to establish a local economy based on olives without being confined to coal, with 70 new facilities to be established for the processing of olives in Muğla’s Milas district, where olives are uprooted to expand the coal mines.
The investment needed for these facilities, which will employ 685 people, is equivalent to the amount of incentives given to the two coal-fired thermal power plants in operation in Milas district in just one year. In addition, with the support of an olive-based economy in the region, the value created by the EU geographical indication Milas olive oil can increase from 4.5 million TL to 60 million TL.
With the new regulation that opened olive groves to mining and drew the reaction of all of Turkiye, the olive trees in Milas are also under the threat of being cut down. However, Milas olive oil is Turkiye’s only olive oil with European Union geographical indication.
The aim of the report titled “Transformation Opportunity for the Local Economy: Olive Growing in Milas” prepared by Milas City Council, European Climate Action Network (CAN Europe) and 350 Association for Climate is an example of the regional economic transition required by the 2053 net zero emission target, to explore the possibility of developing an olive-based economy for Milas, which also has two thermal power plants and coal mines.
The report was presented by Milas Municipality to the public at a press conference held at the Professor Dr. Aşkıdil Akarca Hall.