Söke Pamuğu

Söke Pamuğu is raw cotton fibre cultivated in the Söke district of Aydın province in the Aegean region of Turkey. The European Commission entered it in the Union register of protected geographical indications on 10 September 2024, by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2398, published in Official Journal L, 2024/2398. The application was submitted by Söke Commodity Exchange (Söke Ticaret Borsası), established in 1966. The Turkish national GI registration was concluded on 8 June 2023 by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office.

Söke Pamuğu is the only non-food product in Turkey's EU-registered GI portfolio. Cotton cultivation has been practised in the Söke district since 1700, and by the 1830s the sails of Ottoman ships were woven from yarns produced from Söke cotton. The Söke Pamuk Festival, held annually between 1 and 6 October, celebrates this production tradition.

What makes it distinct

Söke Pamuğu is characterised by diminished fibre yellowing, a lustrous appearance, extended fibre length, and fine, robust yarn characteristics. These properties result from the specific combination of climate, soil, and cultivation practice in the Söke district.

The prevailing summer Meltem winds are central to the product's quality. These winds — mild and gentle due to Söke's more inland position compared with coastal areas — accelerate evaporation and transpiration during the critical June-to-August period, reducing soil moisture and mitigating plant disease risk while preventing temperature stress. Night temperatures of 19–23°C in June and July, when cotton fibres form, produce longer fibres than Turkish averages. The complete opening of bolls during October harvest — when temperatures drop to 15°C — directly produces the low yellowness value that distinguishes Söke Pamuğu.

Soil pH of 6.5–7.55 and high macronutrient content (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) in the well-drained, moisture-retaining soils of the Söke district increase ginning yield and prevent undesirable yellow colour formation. The infrequent occurrence of frost in the region means plants are not harmed, supporting higher production yields than other Turkish cotton-growing regions.

Fibre characteristics

The following values are taken directly from the Single Document (OJ C/2024/2893) and product specification:

Characteristic features of Söke Pamuğu:

• Cotton yield (kg/ha): 460–550

• Fibre length (mm): 28–32

• Micronaire value: 3.9–4.7

• Fibre tensile strength (g/tex): 29–37

• Fibre maturity (%): 0.86–0.87

• Fibre length uniformity (%): 84–86

• Fibre yellowness value (+b): 7–10

• Colour grade: (21-1)–(41-1)

• Trash count in fibre (TrCnt): 9–63

• Short fibre content (%): 6–8

• Long fibre content (%): 83–87

• Fibre brightness degree (Rd): 76–87

• Lint cover (%): 3–6

• Flexibility index: 125–185

• Moisture content (%): 7–8.5

Söke Pamuğu is classified as "quite long staple" based on fibre length class, with a maximum fibre length of 32 mm and fineness of 3.9–4.7 µg/inch. Fibre fineness is proportional to length; finer fibres produce higher yarn numbers and lower irregularity, with greater strength and uniformity than yarns from thicker fibres.

Approved varieties

Söke Pamuğu is obtained from the following ten approved varieties: Gloria, Claudia, Carmen, Deltapine, Julia, Lydia, Beyaz Altın, DP396, Famosa, and Nazilli 84.

Production zone

The geographical area for production is the entire territory of the Söke district within Aydın province. Söke is located in the Aegean region at latitude 37.7545°N, longitude 27.1448°E, approximately 60 km from the provincial capital Aydın and 122 km from İzmir.

Cultivation method

Soil preparation begins in autumn with plowing to 20–25 cm depth, repeated in winter, with a final 15 cm plowing in spring before sowing. Seeds are planted in the last week of April when soil temperature exceeds 15°C, using a seed drill at row spacing of 70–73 cm, within-row spacing of 35–40 cm, and planting depth of 4–5 cm. Three kilograms of seed are sown per decare. Germination occurs within 5–10 days.

Irrigation commences 45–55 days after sowing and is applied 4–5 times at 15–20 day intervals using the furrow method, with a total water requirement of 500–600 mm. Care is taken to prevent direct water contact with plants to reduce disease risk; excessive irrigation is avoided to maintain fibre quality.

Fertilization uses nitrogen and phosphorus at 14–16 kg pure nitrogen and 6–8 kg pure phosphorus per hectare, applied in two applications: early July before irrigation and early August after irrigation. Pest control spraying is carried out in late July, mid-August, and early September.

Harvesting begins when at least 60 percent of bolls have opened, generally 150–155 days after sowing, starting in the last week of September and continuing to mid-November. For machine harvesting, defoliant and boll opener treatments are applied 12–15 days before harvest. All production steps — seed selection, soil preparation, planting, irrigation, fertilization, plant maintenance, and harvesting — must take place within the Söke district.

Control and certification

At the beginning of each marketing year, experts designated by the Söke Commodity Exchange authorise each grower's parcel and record it in the Söke Pamuğu cultivation register. The following batch details are recorded upon delivery to the Söke Commodity Exchange: grower name, supplier, quantity, origin, recipient, and destination. Certified lots are separated from non-certified lots at packing stations and handled, labelled, and marketed separately.

Compliance monitoring is carried out by:

• Söke Commodity Exchange — records Söke Pamuğu production, maintains the producer register, and performs regular audit activities; over 2,500 farmers produce Söke Pamuğu

• Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Food and Control — verifies compliance with the product specification under Law 5996 on Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed