Pomegranate

Pomegranate

Just as in Göcek, the October rains brought a smile to the faces of farmers across a large part of Turkey. Olive growers, especially in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions, have had their spirits lifted slightly. Expenses for fertilizer, fuel, pesticides, and labor have risen so much that farmers have no energy left to go to the fields. It is a cycle of running from one bank to another. You can only pay off debt with more debt. Can you even close the gap with money borrowed at high interest rates? That is, if you can even get it. Bank loans and credit cards are another form of exploitation. 

As a small-scale producer, I sold the apples from our orchard wholesale. The income I earned from selling apples from nearly 20 decares did not even cover the expenses I incurred for the orchard. What are our small and medium-scale farmers, especially our farmers in the village, supposed to do? They do not want to go to their fields. In short: the state of the farmer is dire.

With the rains, the pomegranates also cracked. The spirits of pomegranate producers have also dampened. 80% of the pomegranates in my orchard cracked and opened after the rain. I had to harvest them immediately. We took them to a fruit mill in Dalaman. We had the pomegranates pressed. We will boil them in cauldrons to make pomegranate molasses. We ask the miller: "Aren't these prices too high?" "Electricity costs, labor, and especially taxes have risen so much that we don't know what to do either." I look, I calculate roughly, and I realize I will only be able to recover two-thirds of the expenses I made. Where is the profit in this?

Planting and sowing are one burden. Irrigation and fertilization are another trouble. Especially harvesting and turning it into production is yet another problem. When it comes to marketing, don't even ask. For example, last year a kilogram of wheat was 12-14 liras; this year it is 12-14 TL. And that is on credit. It is tough, my friend, tough. After the War of Independence, in the founding years, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk had no industry and no income other than agriculture. He paid off the debts left by the Ottoman Empire with products produced from the fertile Anatolian soil. He created a brand new, modern, productive, and proud country. Today, we all see our state. Bowed down.

A legal system applied at will, education in shambles. In healthcare, starting with the bed shortage, appointments are given months in advance, even over the phone. If you don't have connections, there is no appointment. Private hospitals have gone off the rails.

After such a pessimistic picture, let me share some brief information about pomegranate consumption so that, at least as a doctor, I can contribute to protecting your health. Healthy living is the foundation of everything.

In our childhood, we used to have "Domestic Goods Weeks." We had a riddle: "I bought one from the market, I came home to a thousand, guess what it is? A pomegranate." The pomegranate is such a beneficial fruit that its benefits are endless. 

The season for watermelon, melon, and grapes has passed or is passing. The juicy seeds inside the pomegranate are consumed fresh. The seeds contain Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folic acid, and dietary fiber. It is both nutritious and supportive for weight loss.

Eating pomegranate helps protect heart health and improves daily mobility and exercise performance. It supports brain functions, especially in children and the elderly. Another powerful aspect of the pomegranate is its antioxidant content, which is a fundamental factor in strengthening the immune system. In these days when flu season begins, it has effective compounds that provide anti-inflammatory properties. Pomegranate supports recovery from gastrointestinal system problems such as ulcers and diarrhea. It builds blood and thins the blood. By contributing to the balancing of cholesterol, it prevents atherosclerosis and calcification. 

The pomegranate, whose homeland is the Mediterranean, is a domestic product. Consuming it is very important both in terms of health and in terms of contributing to production.

"Domestic goods, the nation's goods"—where have these slogans and rhetoric gone? 

But still, there is no room for pessimism; we will continue to work and struggle first for our health, and at the same time for our families, our country, and our people. 

There is no salvation alone; either all together, or none of us.

Prof. Dr. Nurettin DEMİR