Yetişmez denilen Oltu'da zeytin mucizesi

In the Oltu district of Erzurum, one of Türkiye's highest-altitude provinces, where winters are harsh, three olive saplings brought from Manisa 10 years ago, thought "they wouldn't grow here," have grown to 2,000 trees, providing a source of income for residents. Hamit Polat (62), a resident of the Ayvalı neighborhood, brought three olive saplings from Akhisar, Manisa, 10 years ago. Despite neighbors' warnings that they wouldn't grow here, the saplings were planted in the Ayvalı neighborhood, which has a microclimate characteristic of Erzurum, where harsh winters are experienced. Seeing the saplings adapt to the soil, grow, and begin to bear fruit, the neighborhood residents planted new olive saplings in their gardens, bringing the number of olive trees in Ayvalı to 2,000. Olive cultivation has become a new source of income for Ayvalı residents, who earn their living from fruit and vegetable growing. Polat, who helped develop a new industry in the neighborhood, said he could have planted olive trees in his neighborhood when he visited Akhisar, Manisa, in the 1980s, but changed his mind after neighbors told him the saplings wouldn't mature. "I made my decision, and God rewarded me for my efforts." Polat explained that he brought his first olive tree sapling from Akhisar 10 years ago, regardless of his neighbors. "We planted the saplings and got a yield in the first two years. Now each of our neighbors has one or two olive trees. They can all afford them. People were hesitant back then. I made my decision, and God rewarded me for my efforts. It was the first of its kind in Erzurum." Polat, who stated that the three saplings planted in the neighborhood have reached 2,000, continued: "Working and tending to the soil is wonderful, and getting a yield is even better. This year, I've had an average of 450-500 kilos of olives. I think more will follow. It's been a great support for the villagers. They're usually sold to neighboring villages. Currently, they're selling for between 125 and 150 lira per kilo." Polat, who wants olive cultivation to continue in the city, said he disagrees with the saying, "It can't happen here," adding that anything can grow in Erzurum, and that hard work is rewarded. "We laughed when Hamit brought the olives." Neighborhood headman Musa Demir noted that Ayvalı Neighborhood is the only place in Erzurum where olives are produced. He said, "We laughed when Hamit brought the olives. 'Can there be olives in Ayvalı?'" "We said, 'We'll be here, but now we can harvest 100-150 kilos of olives per tree. The quality and taste of the olives are very good. It's starting to become more widespread," he said. Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Alparslan Kenger, who attended the olive harvest in a neighborhood garden, noted the region's microclimate, that 120 olive saplings were provided to the neighborhood in 2023, and that Erzurum has no other example of olive production.