EU grants protection status to Turkey's Caglayancerit walnut

ANKARA — The European Union on Tuesday granted protection status to Turkey’s Caglayancerit walnut, which is produced in the country’s quake-hit southeast, in a move that may bring an economic boost to the region. 

The EU granted the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status to the famous walnut, which is named after the region in which it’s produced, by including it in the bloc’s list of more than 1,600 protected products from across the world. The status is based on an EU policy to protect “unique characteristics” of selected products and help their producers to market the products better. 

In its announcement on Tuesday, the bloc cited various factors for the designation, including half-century-old walnut trees, beekeeping activities in the area that help pollinate the walnut during the flowering period, and ancestral methods used in production. 

Caglayancerit is located in Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes that killed more than 50,500 people and directly impacted more than 15 million people across more than 10 provinces. The region and its economy are still reeling from the country’s deadliest and worst disaster. 

The Caglayancerit walnut became the second product to receive a protection status from Turkey’s disaster region, after the Antakya kunefsi dessert. Along with Kahramanmaras, Antakya is among the worst-hit places by the temblors. 

Turkey’s EU Ambassador Faruk Kaymakci hailed the decision on Twitter, saying the move will boost the export potential of the walnut. 

Tuesday’s decision brought the total number of Turkish products that received the special status to 11.

Today, “Çağlayancerit Walnut” has become 11th 🇹🇷 product to be registered as geographical indication in the 🇪🇺. 🇪🇺 registration for 🇹🇷 products increases both the added value of our products and our export potential. @tccaglayancerit @TOBBiletisim @TURKPATENT @TCTarim #EUQuality pic.twitter.com/xyydQMnMN2

— Faruk Kaymakcı (@frkkymkc) June 13, 2023

EU Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, outgoing head of the European Union Delegation to Turkey, who recently visited the country’s disaster zone, said the move would bring several advantages to the walnut producers in Caglayancerit.  

“One of the primary advantages of geographic indications is that they add value to the local product. Another one is that it safeguards the local product against counterfeiting and fraud,” Meyer-Landrut said in emailed comments to journalists. “The EU's recognition of this walnut will enable the product and its producers to be recognized beyond Turkey’s borders.”