After Gömeç okra, Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality has now purchased 40 tons of sesame from Sındırgı. Speaking at the ceremony held in Sındırgı, Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Akın said, "Our support purchases continue as scheduled." Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality has made the second of its product purchases that it has initiated to support producers. The Metropolitan Municipality, which set out by purchasing 10 tons of okra in Gömeç in the past weeks, made its second purchase in Sındırgı. The Metropolitan Municipality purchased 40 thousand kilograms of sesame from the producer from Sındırgı. Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Akın, who announced that they will purchase the sesame, whose market value is 95 liras per kilo, for 120 liras, said that they will obtain a branded product by converting the product into tahini and sesame oil. Speaking at the sesame purchase ceremony held in the Pürsünler rural neighborhood of Sındırgı , Ahmet Akın said that product purchases will continue to support agricultural production in Balıkesir. Emphasizing that women have the most labor in agricultural production, President Akın said, “We are working hard to support our women working in the agricultural field, women working in the fields are entrusted to us, thank you for their labor . ”Drawing attention to the difficulties of agriculture, Akın noted that they worked intensively with their teammates to solve agricultural problems in the region, and that production in Balıkesir would be carried out in a planned manner and would be turned into products with high added value. Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Akın said: “LET THE VILLAGES RETURN TO THEIR OLD STATE, LET PRODUCERS WIN” “Agriculture is hard work, fields are hard work, people should not abandon their fields, people should produce and get paid, our villages should not be emptied. Let our old villages return to their former state. People, young people should not wander around to find jobs for their children, those who produce should earn and live in their villages, we will implement this. We are working to make the products produced with high added value in a planned manner. We bought one of our products, we bought the product that could not be sold for 60 liras for 90 liras, we are currently selling it to America. The same thing applies to sesame. The farmer is not alone in Balıkesir, the farmer will earn. You can see how important sesame is for Balıkesir. There is a decreasing production day by day, more than half of the total production is produced in Sındırgı. We are working scientifically to both reduce input costs and increase the added value of this business. Our planning and development agency is working in detail. “THERE WILL BE BALIKESİR BREAK BUSINESSES ON THE HIGHWAYS” Not just Sındırgı. Balıkesir is the most beautiful city in Turkey. I claim that it is probably the most beautiful city in the world. For years, Balıkesir was squeezed between Istanbul and İzmir, if we could not reveal this value, we will look forward, not to the past. We will reveal these beauties.When you pass by the highway, you only see a sign that says Balıkesir. It won’t be like this anymore. We have started working. We will buy the products produced by my fellow citizens in cooperatives, primarily women’s cooperatives. We will bring sales opportunities to the road routes, to İzmir, İstanbul and to the big cities. We are implementing Balıkesir Break, we have done all the work, I want to buy the product produced. We have registered products with geographical indications, some of them should be registered in the EU. We have animal husbandry, agriculture, all kinds of production, the world’s highest quality olives and olive oil. We have award-winning honey. Balıkesir is the most valuable city in the country in terms of its richness in agricultural production. We are the children of this land, we are trying to pay our debt. “I HAVE ALWAYS BROUGHT THE FARMER’S PROBLEMS TO THE AGENDA” Farmers are increasingly abandoning their land. Farmers who should be getting rich are unfortunately becoming poorer, we will not allow this. This is not destiny, there is something wrong with this. This is why we are doing this work. Leaving aside the mistakes in agricultural and livestock policies, our farmers will not suffer losses. It will be a Balıkesir that exports, not imports. Farmers in Turkey are abandoning production, imported products are coming, we will produce. The one who produces soil and uses water. We have these. I have always brought these to the agenda during the 3 terms I have been a member of parliament, now we are implementing them. I work in harmony with my teammates. We first took office, 78 years later there was a change in the municipality. God granted it, the people gave us authority, entrusted us. Protecting the trust is a requirement of our faith, trusts cannot be betrayed, those who do their duty best are the ones who love their country the most. We have the fear of God in our hearts, violating the people's rights is the biggest sin. In every speech I make, in every work I do, I say this, people's rights will not be violated in Balıkesir. This is our duty. We will increase the income by enriching Balıkesir, restoring its rights. “THE SUPPORT PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE” Why is sesame important to us? While 20-30 tons of sesame is produced annually in Turkey, we imported 215 tons of sesame in 2023. In order to reverse this, we refuse to become a country that has become an import market. One of our problems in agricultural production is input costs, and not only that, there is also a climate crisis, drought. There are difficulties in accessing wheat and barley, wars, conflicts. What we experienced in tomato production is obvious. When there is wrong planning, citizens are left alone with their fate. We want to prevent this. They closed down exports, the citizens suffered losses. I say that agriculture is the most important point for us strategically. We cannot develop any country without rural development. We have started a series of support programs, we are making purchases, contracted agriculture has started. In a planned manner. Piecemeal purchases are being made. Sesame production is a difficult job, but we need to produce more. There is a production area of 9 thousand acres in Balıkesir, more than half of which is grown here. This is a cultural heritage. It is also difficult to produce. Our sesame is organic, delicious and the most beautiful sesame in the world. There is a 4 thousand-acre area in Sındırgı, we will buy a total of 40 thousand kilograms of sesame from the farmers who produce. The market value is 95 lira, we buy it for 120 lira. We do not only buy, but we will also turn the sesame purchased from you into value-added products such as tahini and sesame oil, and we will brand it.”