Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality signed a cooperation protocol for "Kazdağları Honey Forest and Balköy", the largest honey forest project in Türkiye with 206 hectares. Thanks to the project; beekeeping activities will be developed by providing trainings, the best honey will be marketed to the world and the healing of bee products will be medicine for the whole world at the Apitherapy Centre.

Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality continues to carry out projects supporting producers. Providing integrated support in many areas from bee feed to beehives, from queen bee production to the organisation of bee accommodation areas, Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality is now implementing the largest "Kazdağları Honey Forest and Balköy" project in Türkiye. In an area of 206 hectares in Kazdağları (Mount Ida), beehives will be carefully placed and honey endemic plants produced in BAÇEM will be planted all over the region so that bees can produce much better quality honey. In the first stage of the Honey Forest and Balköy, citizens will be able to take comfortable walks and be in touch with nature. In the second stage of the project, citizens will have the opportunity to taste and buy all honey produced in the Balkafe. In the third stage, the 'Apitherapy Centre' project, which will turn the Honey Forest and Balköy project into a training base and healing centre, will start.

7 ORGANISATIONS UNITED FOR QUALITY HONEY

Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality, Balıkesir University, Edremit Municipality, Balıkesir Regional Directorate of Forestry, Balıkesir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, Balıkesir Province Beekeepers Association and S.S.Kazdağları Dereli Agricultural Development Cooperative signed a cooperation protocol for "Kazdağları Honey Forest and Balköy" project. Balıkesir University Rector Prof. Dr. Yücel Oğurlu, Balıkesir Regional Director of Forestry Kemal Kayıran, Balıkesir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry Zafer Bozgül, Balıkesir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry Deputy Provincial Director Zafer Bozgül, Balıkesir Province Beekeepers Association President Mustafa Yazıcı, S.S. Kazdağları Dereli Agricultural Development Cooperative President İlhan Deveci attended the cooperation protocol hosted by Mayor Yücel Yılmaz.

BEEKEEPING INTEGRATES WITH TOURISM

"Kazdağları Honey Forest and Balköy" project was implemented in order to develop and popularise beekeeping, to develop a natural bee products production and marketing system and to integrate it with alternative tourism models, to support rural development in the region, to make beekeeping a professional profession and to provide incentives for young people to turn to beekeeping profession.

BALIKESİR'S HONEY WILL ATTRACT ATTENTION

 Stating that they have carried out a very good work, Mayor of Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality Yücel Yılmaz said, "We have honey that has received gold awards in France and England. We have signed the largest 'Honey Forest and Balköy' project in Türkiye. With this signature, we are making a honey forest on 206 hectares of the Ida Mountains in a very rich geography as an endemic plant cover. We believe that we will finalise our project in a short time. We want to increase Balıkesir's place in honey production in real terms and we want everyone to demand Balıkesir honey." 

WE ADD ACADEMIC DIMENSION TO HONEY

Balıkesir University Rector Prof. Dr. Yücel Oğurlu said that it is an important start for Balıkesir to go global again with its honey and to be deemed worthy of awards and added: "There is an academic dimension on one side and a commercial, tourism and health dimension on the other. When we bring all these together, we think it will be a great contribution for Balıkesir. We would like to thank our Mayor Yücel Yılmaz for his guidance on this issue." 

WE WILL BE IN THE TOP THREE IN TÜRKİYE

Zafer Bozgül, Deputy Provincial Director of Balıkesir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, wishing the protocol to be beneficial, said: "With this protocol, I believe that Balıkesir will hopefully enter the top three in honey production. I wish it to be fruitful again."

WE CAN TAKE BEEKEEPING FURTHER WITH SUCH A MAYOR

Mustafa Yazıcı, President of Balıkesir Beekeepers' Association, reiterated that there are honeys that have received gold awards in London and Paris and said, "Our Metropolitan Mayor Yücel Yılmaz gives us very serious support in products such as beehives, beehive bases, queen bees and bee feed. We are endlessly thankful to our Mayor Yücel. As long as such a mayor is behind us, we will hopefully take beekeeping even further."

WE WILL PROVIDE TREATMENT WITH BEE PRODUCTS

Pointing out that honey and bee products are very important for Balıkesir, S.S. Kazdağları Dereli Agricultural Development Cooperative President Lecturer İlhan Deveci said: "We want to spread the bee products that will come to the fore in the dimension that will create added value here, especially in Kazdağı Honey Forest, to Türkiye and the world. We will provide the whole world with the opportunity to be treated with bee products from here. The infrastructure of this project has been created and realised with signatures."