'Don't touch my olive': Ecology, agriculture groups oppose new mining regulations

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Releasing a written statement about the new regulations allowing mining in olive groves, the Ecology Union said the government "took advantage of the Ukraine war" to issue the regulations.

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources' change in the regulations that olive trees will not be cut down but "transferred" was not convincing, said the group.

Also releasing a statement about the issue, the Farmers' Union said the regulations will further deepen the food crisis by increasing dependence on companies and foreign countries.

"Death warrant"

"This amendment, which will be the death warrant of olive groves, is absolutely unacceptable. Sacred and immortal olive trees cannot be sacrificed for coal, marble quarries and mines," said the Ecology Union.

"'The sacred olive' is the tree of the poor. It is the livelihood of villagers and farmers. Villagers send their children to school and get them married with the income of olive.

"The income of hundreds of thousands of farmers in our country depends on olive. It takes years for an olive tree to grow. It is not possible to recover destroyed olive groves in a short time."

Air pollution and olive groves

The Çiftçi-Sen union pointed out the adverse effects of air pollution on olive trees.

"Olive is among the plants that are sensitive to particulates and air pollution due to its cultivation style. Air pollution adversely affects the growth of olive trees in an area of ​​approximately 50 kilometers in diameter.

"In other words, with this regulation, not only olive trees will be cut down, but also olive groves around the mines to be opened will not be able to produce crops due to the pollution caused by them."

Both groups demanded the withdrawal of the regulation and called on the public to take action against it.

The regulation

According to the decision issued on March 1, in the event that the mining activities to be undertaken to meet the need for electricity coincide with an olive grove and it is not possible to undertake the related activities in other fields, permission may be granted by considering public good so that the part of the olive groves where the mining activities will be undertaken shall be moved, mining activities shall be undertaken in the area and temporary facilities shall be set up for these activities.

The permission to be granted shall stipulate that the person who will engage in the mining activities will undertake that after the related activities end, the area will be rehabilitated and that he or she will allocate an olive grove the same size to the one where the mining activities will be undertaken.

The area of the new olive grove will be approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and cultivated in line with the planting norms.

All costs and requests to stem from moving the olive grove will be met by the person who is permitted to undertake the mining activities. (TP/VK)