News

TREE-PRUNING TRAINING HELD IN BODRUM

05.03.2026

A tree-pruning training session was delivered to residents at the Mandarin Demonstration Orchard in the Bitez neighbourhood, as part of joint work by Muğla Metropolitan Municipality and Bodrum Municipality.

The practical and technical training was provided to 66 producers through a partnership between Muğla Metropolitan Municipality’s Agricultural Services Department – Agriculture and Livestock Research, Support and Training Branch Directorate and Bodrum Municipality’s Agricultural Services Directorate.

Attendees included Kadriye Erkal Yıldırım (Head of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality’s District Services Department – Region 1), Ercan Pehlivan (Deputy Mayor of Bodrum), Murat Avcı (Head of the Agriculture and Livestock Research, Support and Training Branch) and technical teams from both municipalities, as well as Sinem Uyar Kuyumcu (Director of Bodrum Municipality Agricultural Services), neighbourhood heads and local residents.

Agricultural engineers and technical staff provided hands-on instruction on tree pruning. Participants were also briefed on Mediterranean fruit fly biological traps.

Murat Avcı said Muğla Metropolitan Municipality continues a range of projects to support agriculture and livestock and strengthen rural development, including facility set-up, training and in-kind support. He thanked Muğla Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Aras and Bodrum Mayor Tamer Mandalinci.

Deputy Mayor Ercan Pehlivan said the training focused on pruning methods aimed at rejuvenation and improved yield for mandarin trees. He added that recent work has focused on increasing the market share of the Bodrum Mandarin, and that the municipality aims to contribute to the long-term sustainability of orchards. He also noted that the Bodrum Mandarin is a sustainable geographical indication product associated with Bodrum’s local cultural landscape.

Sinem Uyar Kuyumcu said the session was the first in a planned series of trainings on good agricultural practices, with further sessions to continue based on producer requests and field assessments.

Agricultural engineer Turgut Karagöz added that the session also addressed wider issues raised by residents in citrus cultivation, including disease, pests and irrigation, and shared information on natural solutions. He thanked Bodrum Municipality for supporting the programme.

Further training sessions will continue in line with the planned programme.