Mersin municipality hosts geography‑badge program for producers

The Mersin Metropolitan Municipality and the Mersin Chamber of Commerce organised the "Mersinli Üreticiler Coğrafi İşaretleri Konuşuyor" program under the slogan “Mediterranean heritage, soil identity”. Held at the municipal Congress and Exhibition Hall, the event featured five thematic sessions on protecting and marketing geographic‑indication products, sustainable development, the role of cooperatives, women producers and an overview of existing and candidate products.

Participants included municipal officials, experts from the Turkish Engineers and Architects Association Food Engineers Chamber, the Mersin Women’s Cooperative, the Yöresel Ürünler ve Coğrafi İşaretler Türkiye Araştırma Ağı, Akdeniz University’s Geographic‑Indication Centre and Slow Food Turkey. Field visits were made to Hamzabeyli workshop and the Tarsus Eshab‑ı Kehf Agricultural Cooperative, where attendees observed the processing of certified items such as the Mersin blood orange and Sarı Ulak olive.

Mayor Vahap Seçer used the forum to announce a 71 % increase in the municipal agricultural‑support budget, raising allocations from 215 million TRY in 2025 to 367 million TRY in 2026, and highlighted projects such as solar‑powered irrigation for cooperatives. The municipality currently has 24 geographic‑indication products and is pursuing new designations for Gülnar cumin, Bozyazı plum, Kravga apricot and others, aiming to boost local economies and expand export potential.