NEW 2500 LAVENDER SEEDLINGS FROM EGET FOUNDATION TO ARMUTCUK

MUĞLA EKO NEWS

20.10.2019

Lavender planted in the Armutcuk Neighborhood of Ula District by the Education-Geriatrics-Ecological Agriculture-Tourism (EGET) Foundation established 4 years ago in Muğla continues to contribute to education.

EGET Foundation, which was established in 2015 by Özlem Uzman, an entrepreneur in Muğla, and Safai Özer, a famous painter, in order to provide scholarships to students, completed its 3rd year in the production of lavender, which is planted after the truffle used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. This year, the number of students to be awarded scholarships has been increased to 40 with the increase in funds from lavender oil and donations.

Organized 2500 new seedlings planting event

EGET Foundation organized an event to plant 2500 new seedlings in the lavender seedlings it had previously planted in its agricultural enterprise in Armutçuk Neighborhood of Ula district. At the event, we had an interview with Özlem Uzman and Safai Özer, the founders of the Foundation, as Muğla Eco News Center;

Özlem Uzman, we started production on 22 acres of land by planting oak saplings with truffle-inoculated roots. We later added lavender to our product range. In August 2018, the first lavender was distilled for a fee at the Mugla Metropolitan Municipality Medical and Aromatic Plants and Local Seed Center Facilities. We sent the lavender oil obtained from here to a cosmetics company in Istanbul, which has been making production approved by the Ministry of Health, and turned it into a commercial product there. In this way, we get more income from lavender oil. For now, Lavender Oil Tonic, Lavender Oil Handmade Solid Soap, Lavender Oil Liquid Soap, Lavender Oil Shampoo, Lavender Cologne and Pure Lavender Water (Hydrosol) are available for sale on the foundation’s website at prices ranging from 19 to 30 liras. With the profit from the sale, 40 university students receive a monthly scholarship of 350 liras each.

I am proud to say that we are now in the phase of exporting the products we produce. In addition, seedlings were started to be sold at affordable prices to increase lavender planting in the region. In addition to selling lavender seedlings, the Foundation also produced lavender honey. The proceeds from lavender seedlings and honey sold under the slogan ‘Let lavender blossom to support education’ are used for scholarships for students.

Scholarship for Students Support for Farmers

Of course EGET is a foundation and our main goal is to provide scholarships to low-income students. We are happy that we have found a new opportunity to give scholarships to more students, as well as showing ways to ensure that our farmers earn more income.” We carefully select the students we give scholarships to, and we want them to continue to support the foundation at the end of their education, when they start their profession, without losing contact with the foundation. In this way, we plan to support education with the income from harvest and commercial products, student support and donations.”

“Unfortunately, we import products that can be produced by our farmers. Among the products we import are lavender, citrus, peppermint, citronellol (a product produced from rose and geranium leaves) oils. When we look at oil and hydrosol, solutions and resinoids obtained from plants, we are talking about an annual import of approximately 33.5 million dollars. This money can stay with our farmers. Our country imports products that our farmers can produce at high prices. Since we cannot transform what we produce into cosmetic products, we pay high prices abroad. It is now necessary for all authorized institutions to support and encourage the producers at the same time, he continued.

We Expect Only Facilitative Support from the Public or Municipalities

Özlem Uzman said, “Our foundation is the first lavender plantation of the coastal cities established in Muğla. It defines itself as a duty to provide scholarships to low-income students with the financial resources it obtains. With the work we do, we consider it our duty to be useful and exemplary for everyone who wants to be. The process of obtaining cosmetic products from lavender oil and lavender water showed us that it is possible to obtain a very high added value from an agricultural product. Therefore, if farmers are organized as cooperatives by the public or municipalities and these processes are supported, an important source of income will be provided for them. Considering today’s communication opportunities, exporting, strong cosmetic brands can be created through cooperatives.”