In the TRNC, a New Olive Variety is Registered for the First Time

The Institute of Agricultural Research of the TRNC (TAE) has registered a new variety of olives for the first time, named "Island Native."

According to the director of the Institute of Agricultural Research (TAE), Cem Karadji, the new olive variety with high yield and characteristics was registered last week in Turkey after a 10-year study. Another two years were spent on registering "Island Native."

The head of the institute noted that the number of trees of the new olive variety is increasing every day throughout the territory of the TRNC. This olive variety has "adapted to the climatic and geographical conditions of Cyprus over the centuries," and the registration of the first local olive of the TRNC will provide advantages to producers in terms of branding and marketing.

"For the first time in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, an olive variety has been registered. Our olive has attracted attention with the quality of its oil and the compounds in it. Registration was very important for olives, and we have achieved that," stated the director of TAE.

According to information gathered from official TRNC data, there are over 600,000 olive trees and 1,940 olive producers registered in the country. The olive yield, which varies from year to year, ranges from 8 to 15 thousand tons per year.

In addition to varieties registered as "native islanders" and known as "Cypriot olives," olive varieties imported from Turkey and from the island of Crete before 1974 are also grown in the country.

In the village of Kalkanlı, where extensive olive groves are located, about 2,000 olive trees are under protection. Approximately 400 of them are over 500 years old. The age of the oldest trees in the region is 800 years. This region is one of the key points of the EU project called NATURA 2000.