Bodrum tangerines, as been sulky on the branch, ashamed at the stall and worried about the future, has been rotting and dying in its own shade in recent years. Its soil and farmer want fidelity than ever before. Tangerines lent Bodrum a hand in the branding process, now it asks for the same hand back from Bodrum in its struggle for existence.

“Grateful with the blind eye, he appreciates what he gets” says Aşık Veysel the folk poet-singer. Today, there is neither soil, nor a veteran to cultivate the soil. “I saw neither fidelity nor benefit. The soil met all my requests.” While Veysel emphasises the belief and gratitude to the soil with his words by playing his saz, in today’s Turkey, the point of agriculture is hitting us like a ton of bricks. If the reputation of the soil is over, it provides neither fidelity nor pleasure. In the same poem, Veysel expressed his compliment of the fertility of the soil with the words "I gave it a seed and it gave me four flowers". As we do not cultivate the soil, we also mishandle it. Unfortunately we have become importers, while Turkey used to be one of the most important countries with the economy based on agriculture. Turkey paints a sad picture if it starts to export the goods which used to be in the first raw of the production. What is even much worse is the product that grows in a region comes to the end when it is the most important source of income, symbol and brand of that region.

Bodrum with its tangerines, which has become a symbol in soil-based production, is having difficulties. Tangerines, which used to be the most significant source of income years ago, does not make the farmers happy, nor does it see the worthy value. Value falling and unsellable tangerines has been forcing the people to sell the gardens. As a result, the producers have been weighted down by caring of the gardens, fertilization, and irrigation and labour costs.

We wanted to meet up with the tangerines producers and listen to their thoughts of the tangerines. When we talked to them, they start pouring out their troubles. Ahmet Koc, an 80-acre garden owner, who opens a bench in the Bodrum markets and dedicates his a life to tangerines production, says that there is no facility for tangerines, it cannot find buyers in the market, the annual earning has dropped due to the loss of the value, and it is now very difficult to finish the year by producing only tangerines. Producers and farmers, who did not obtain income, rightly did not cultivate the land. Tangerines producers have recently sold their gardens. They earned twice as much when they sold their gardens than selling the tangerines in the garden. Ahmet Koç is one of the few people who has not given up. He cultivates and reaps his gardens every year, however he states that he cannot earn enough. Ahmet Koc, who does not only take care of his gardens but also rents dried gardens and tries to produce tangerines there, says that he is tired of thinking how to destock the tangerines the merchants did not buy.

In Bodrum, where the number of gardens is falling, there are only a few tangerines producers left in Bitez, Ortakent, Yahsi and Gumusluk. Unless an intervention happens, another product will be distinct soon. With the support of entrepreneurs, who created the brand from Bodrum tangerines by providing value-added products, tangerines is assessed in a way. The recently established manufacturer association and the tangerines festival organized by them are among promising works. However, 46 year old tangerines producer Esen Girgin also reproaches “In my childhood, there were 2 tangerines harvests and with the money we earned we used to get our annual earning at once. Tangerines used to be as valuable as gold. But now it makes us lose money. Although, we are able to sell tangerines to the buyer due to the tourism and settlement, we can hardly get our payment.” Esen Girgin, who cannot make enough income from tangerines from her mandarin trees (3 to 5 trees) that are planted in the garden, "Thank God, some people cannot even find this much." A generation, which puts the bread on the table by producing tangerines, is about to lose their hope.

Tangerines is a symbol of Bodrum with its unique taste and scent, flavour, thick peel and pure nature. Consumers do not appreciate Bodrum tangerines as they prefer thin crusted and seedless tangerines. Bodrum Mandalin deserves to be there, to earn its value that it used to have and reputation.

Dear fragrant tangerines, I wish you will change the ill fate and to remain into the future.