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“PRODUCING BODRUM” BRINGS GROWERS TOGETHER AS AGRO BODRUM ROUTE IS LAUNCHED

16.04.2026

Bodrum Municipality brought together local growers, public officials and sector representatives at the “Producing Bodrum Gathering”, where 2026 summer vegetable seedlings were distributed to producers and the new Agro Bodrum Route was officially launched. The programme was held at the Bahçeyaka Seedling Production and Local Seed R&D Centre and later continued at Etrim Garaova Agricultural Park.

Organised by Bodrum Municipality’s Directorate of Agricultural Services, the gathering drew wide participation, including Seda Kaya Ösen, Chair of the Republican People’s Party Culture and Tourism Policies Board and İzmir MP, Sencer Solakoğlu, Chair of the party’s Agriculture and Forestry Policies Board, Muğla Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Aras, Bodrum Mayor Tamer Mandalinci, deputy mayors, municipal council members, department directors, civil society organisations, professional chambers, neighbourhood heads, members of the press and many local producers.

350,000 Summer Vegetable Seedlings for Producers

Speaking at the event, Mayor Tamer Mandalinci said the municipality would distribute 350,000 summer vegetable seedlings free of charge this year. He noted that the scheme, launched during Ahmet Aras’s term as metropolitan mayor, had continued to grow, rising from 144,000 seedlings in 2024 to 250,000 in 2025 and 350,000 in 2026. Mayor Ahmet Aras said local authorities would continue supporting agriculture and producers, while Seda Kaya Ösen said the model had the potential to spread across Türkiye by linking local values with tourism and broadening the distribution of tourism income.

New Rural Development Model: Agro Bodrum Route

The Agro Bodrum Route was launched at Etrim Garaova Agricultural Park through cooperation between the Bodrum Chamber of Commerce, Bodrum Municipality and the Bodrum District Governor’s Office. The initiative is designed to support efforts to extend the tourism season from three months to nine or ten months, while developing new visitor routes centred on agrotourism, history, culture and nature.

The launch presentation, delivered by Deputy Mayor Ercan Pehlivan, focused on the integration of agriculture and tourism and on a new experience-led tourism model. The project aims to promote Bodrum’s lesser-known rural character while making existing producers more visible and more strongly supported. Participants were also given Agro Bodrum Route passports, and the programme included screenings of an AI-generated video titled “What Kind of Tourism Do We Want?” and a video on the municipality’s Culture and Nature Walks.

At the close of the programme, plaques were presented to local business owners who have supported the Youth Agriculture Camp Project by hosting students free of charge and contributing to the promotion of Bodrum and to rural development.