Farmland plan debated
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 21, 2009 00:00
MUĞLA - While the environmentalists hail the cancelation of plans to turn agricultural land in Dalaman, a district in the western city of Muğla, the tourism industry asserts that it will cause a serious blow to the sector
A decision by the Council of Ministers to cancel plans to turn agricultural land in the Muğla district of Dalaman into tourism facilities has been well received by environmentalists, but not so well by those in the tourism industry.
The land in question is owned by the General Directorate of Agricultural Facilities, or TIGEM.
"The decision is very satisfactory. We kept a close watch on the court cases. The land they wanted to turn into tourism land is an agricultural land of unprecedented beauty.
It is so fertile that it produces fruits and vegetables three times a year. Nowhere in the world has such fertile soil and favorable weather conditions," said Okyay Tirli, the South Aegean representative of the TEMA Foundation.
Objection to foreign buyers
"Moreover, the Dalaman farm is the only piece of land that produces such a wide range of seeds for the whole country. High amounts of citrus fruits are also produced here. We are not against the development of Dalaman, but do not want the agricultural lands to be allocated to tourism," he added.
Highlighting they especially opposed the sale of agricultural land of strategic importance to foreigners, Tirli also noted: "Those people do not actually want to build tourism facilities or hotels; they just aim to sell the land to the Dubai people and facilitate them to build villas there. We are aware of their plans, but we will do our best to save Dalaman in coordination with many organizations."
"There is much land suitable for the construction of tourism facilities. Because they sell all kind of land to foreigners, the region lacks agricultural lands of high quality," Günatin Barın, the chairman of Dalaman Chamber of Agriculture, said.
"The Dalaman farm area is the hope of not only the region but the whole country as well."
This decision of cancelation, on the other hand, disappointed investors who were looking forward to the region’s opening to tourism.
Serious danger for tourism
Calling the decision a "blow to tourism," Onur Turgut, owner of On-Tur Engineering and Real Estate Agency, said: "We do not want the demolition of agricultural land. However, some of the land in the region is not productive because they are close to the sea and salty."
"If this land was used for tourism, the Dalaman region would benefit a lot from this."
The land in question is owned by the General Directorate of Agricultural Facilities, or TIGEM.
"The decision is very satisfactory. We kept a close watch on the court cases. The land they wanted to turn into tourism land is an agricultural land of unprecedented beauty.
It is so fertile that it produces fruits and vegetables three times a year. Nowhere in the world has such fertile soil and favorable weather conditions," said Okyay Tirli, the South Aegean representative of the TEMA Foundation.
Objection to foreign buyers
"Moreover, the Dalaman farm is the only piece of land that produces such a wide range of seeds for the whole country. High amounts of citrus fruits are also produced here. We are not against the development of Dalaman, but do not want the agricultural lands to be allocated to tourism," he added.
Highlighting they especially opposed the sale of agricultural land of strategic importance to foreigners, Tirli also noted: "Those people do not actually want to build tourism facilities or hotels; they just aim to sell the land to the Dubai people and facilitate them to build villas there. We are aware of their plans, but we will do our best to save Dalaman in coordination with many organizations."
"There is much land suitable for the construction of tourism facilities. Because they sell all kind of land to foreigners, the region lacks agricultural lands of high quality," Günatin Barın, the chairman of Dalaman Chamber of Agriculture, said.
"The Dalaman farm area is the hope of not only the region but the whole country as well."
This decision of cancelation, on the other hand, disappointed investors who were looking forward to the region’s opening to tourism.
Serious danger for tourism
Calling the decision a "blow to tourism," Onur Turgut, owner of On-Tur Engineering and Real Estate Agency, said: "We do not want the demolition of agricultural land. However, some of the land in the region is not productive because they are close to the sea and salty."
"If this land was used for tourism, the Dalaman region would benefit a lot from this."