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Global Production of Olives and Olive Oil and Turkey's Situation

Short summary...

Prof. Dr. Mücahit Taha Özkaya, a lecturer at Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, shared striking information about olives and olive oil. Stating that olives and olive oil have an important place in holy books, Özkaya emphasized that these products are symbols of values such as abundance, fertility, health, pride and wisdom.




Expert Opinion on the History and Importance of Olives and Olive Oil Prof. Dr. Mücahit Taha Özkaya, a faculty member at Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, gave detailed information about olives and olive oil.


Levent Özdemir: “There is very important information about olives and olive oil in all holy books, including the Holy Quran. Olives and olive oil have been the symbol of abundance and fertility, justice, health, pride, victory, prosperity, wisdom, reason, birth, holiness and important values for humanity. We often see the figure of the olive in mythology. Ancient inscriptions and paintings on historical columns are proof of this. Zeus and other gods were fascinated by the sanctity of the olive tree. Even Poseidon and Atena ended their eternal enmity with an olive branch. Olives are also frequently used in our proverbs and idioms. 'Plant a pumpkin and your children will see, plant an olive and your grandchildren will see'. Hodja, you are a scientist who has devoted your entire academic career to olives. Could you tell us why you are called the olive man?”


Prof. Dr. Mücahit Taha Özkaya: “I got this nickname because I only work on olives, because I have to work on everything related to olives. I was also given this name because I work on the protection of gene resources in Ankara. Some call me olive father, some call me olive grandfather, but when you type olive man on Google, my name comes up.”


Levent Özdemir: “You said that 7.5 billion people do not know about olive oil. In this sense, we want to get to know olives. Where is the homeland of the olive tree?”


Prof. Dr. Mücahit Taha Özkaya: “The olive tree is a tree that lives for thousands of years. The Southeastern Anatolia Region is considered Upper Mesopotamia and there are olive trees thousands of years old. This region from Şırnak to Hatay is the homeland of olives. When you go downwards, Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan are also included in this region.”


Levent Özdemir: “Can you give information about the fruit, oil and other products of olives?"


Prof. Dr. Mücahit Taha Özkaya: “The olive tree has four important products: olive oil, table olives, pomace and black water. Olive leaves are also used to make extracts and medicines. The olive tree is a plant that can coexist with branch cancer, suggesting that it may have some healing properties. The many properties of the olive tree make it valuable both economically and in terms of health.”


Levent Özdemir: “Can you give information about olive and olive oil production worldwide?”


Prof. Dr. Mücahit Taha Özkaya: “Approximately 3 million tons of olive oil and 3 million tons of table olives are produced worldwide annually. Turkey used to rank first in black olive production, but we are currently in second place. Spain ranks first in green olive production.”


Levent Özdemir: “Finally, what would you like to say about the effects of olives and olive oil on human health?”


Prof. Dr. Mücahit Taha Özkaya: “Olives and olive oil have an important place with the blessings they have offered to humanity for thousands of years. We should get to know these products better and maximize their benefits.”


Conclusion:

Prof. Dr. Mücahit Taha Özkaya's statements once again revealed the historical, cultural and health importance of olives and olive oil.




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