Retired nurse sets an example for women with entrepreneurship

Retired nurse Betül Arslan, who started lavender cultivation in the village of Gökçekent in the district of Ermenek in Karaman, sets an example for women with her entrepreneurship.

The completion of the Ermenek Dam Lake in 2009, which started to retain water, changed the region’s climate. The variety of agricultural products produced in the Ermenek district, where a Mediterranean climate is formed, has also increased thanks to the dam. After the increasing olive cultivation in the region in recent years, lavender cultivation has now begun. After working as a nurse for many years and retiring, Betül Arslan, who returned to her hometown Gökçekent village, started growing lavender on a rented 9-acre land.

‘We satisfied our longing for the homeland with lavender’
Betül Arslan, who returned to her village after retiring, said, ‘When I returned to the village after retiring, I had discussions with those around me about whether we could do this job or not. At that time, I was a nurse and retirement was not yet in the plans after 25 years of professional life. We became very interested in these jobs from afar. We were excited when we first started, but by the third year, we said we were glad we did it. We satisfied our longing for homeland life with lavender here,’ she said.

Karaman Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Hatice Bulut also inspected the field where lavender production is carried out. Bulut congratulated Betül Arslan for her entrepreneurship, saying, ‘The increase of alternative products in Karaman is very valuable for us. In this regard, I congratulate Mrs. Betül for her contribution as a female entrepreneur to the production and promotion of alternative products. Today, Nurse Betül is producing lavender on a 9-acre land. Hopefully, she will further increase her lavender production in the future. She will pave the way for those who come after her. A point that we emphasize in agriculture is the promotion of different products. We are a granary in Karaman, but we also need products like lavender. Lavender, which is resistant to drought, produces very different products when processed and is used in various fields, including alternative medicine, cosmetics, and the cleaning sector for women. As the provincial directorate, we will continue to support the promotion and production of alternative products.’