Agriculture summit in Istanbul explores century-long vision for growth

By News Center

The "Agriculture in the Century of Turkiye" Summit, held under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and led by Albayrak Media, took place at the Istanbul Finance Center (IFM). The summit, attended by experts in the field, focused on the future of Turkiye’s agriculture for the next 100 years.

Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakl? made a speech at the Summit.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakl? stated that Turkiye’s agricultural output is approximately 74 billion dollars.

"Export figures were about 31 billion dollars in 2023, and we have reached 32.6 billion dollars in 2024. All of these are the figures of agriculture that were said to be ‘finished,” he said.

The Minister noted that Turkiye’s economy grew by 3.2% last year, while the agricultural sector grew by 3.9%, surpassing the country’s overall economic growth.

“We are first in agricultural output in Europe, and we are in the top 10 countries in the world,” he added.

Minister Yumakl? stated that no country in the world can be 100% self-sufficient.

"But what is important is whether you have the capability and capacity to meet your citizens’ basic needs for the future of your country, and this is what matters, yes, Turkiye is like that. As of today, if we closed our borders, Turkiye would have no problem with food security,” he underscored.

Yumakl? reminded that by the end of 2024, Turkiye will have achieved a plant production of 137 million tons and emphasized that Turkiye is one of the leading countries in all categories of agriculture.

Yumakl? also made comparisons with the Netherlands, saying, "They are mentioned, but it is not about production, it is about sales."

He reminded that Turkiye’s agricultural sector serves a population of 86 million and also caters to 60 million tourists, and that Turkiye has exported agricultural products worth 32.6 billion dollars.

"Turkiye exports agricultural products to approximately 186 countries. Therefore, saying agriculture is finished in our country means either ignorance or has a different purpose," he noted.

Yumakli added that Turkiye started planned production last year, a dream that had been in place for 40 years.

"We have determined which crops to produce, in which environments, how, and in what quantities, together with all sector stakeholders, through an extensive working period, and we have implemented it," he said.

Emphasizing the effects of climate change on all countries, Minister Yumakl? said, "Considering that resources are becoming limited, we have to make this planning."

As for the progress in agricultural production since 2002, he said, the land is the same, but the production has increased significantly.

“What is the reason for this? First, mechanization, agricultural technologies, efforts to consolidate lands, especially investments in water and irrigation, and the awareness of our farmers; all of these and many more have been the most important factors in the development of agricultural production in Turkiye," he said.

Yumakl? also assessed the interest of young farmers in agricultural production, stating that the ‘Abundance in Rural Areas, Support for Livestock Project’ received nearly ten times more applications than expected. Minister Yumakl? pointed out that Turkiye is an authority in the world in combating forest fires.

“Having the necessary tools and equipment, being able to intervene within 11 minutes, and being one of the two countries in the world using unmanned aerial vehicles for forest fires or forest activities is, although prideful, always the same; yes, we are successful in fighting forest fires, but the real success is preventing them,” he noted.

Yumakl? stated that citizens showed great interest in the publication of counterfeit and adulterated products, adding, “In 2024, inspections reached approximately 1.3 million, and nearly 1.5 billion lira in administrative fines were imposed. We filed criminal complaints against 610 businesses for punishment. We started inspections on the most consumed products during Ramadan with 8,000 personnel.”

Minister Yumakl? shared information on pesticide consumption, saying, "In the last three years, the residue rate on products has decreased by 35%. The return rate of exported products has also decreased by 60%. In our country, the amount of pesticide used per hectare is 2.3 kilograms. In the European Union, it is 3.2 kilograms. Some countries use more than 10 kilograms. The global average is almost the same as Turkiye’s."

Regarding water efficiency, Yumakl? mentioned that 11,000 facilities were established since 2002, with an investment of 3.3 trillion lira. “By 2025, we will add another 381 facilities. We are trying to complete irrigation investments. We have a budget of 106 billion lira,” he stated.

Nurettin Canikli, Vice Chairman of Albayrak Group, also had a speech and he pointed out that wheat was used as a sanction tool in the Russia-Ukraine War. He stressed that Turkiye needs to become self-sufficient in basic food products.

"As Albayrak Group, we use all the elements of modern agriculture, and we support farmers in every way. We have carried this experience to the African countries where we operate port management,” he said.

Canikli added that they increased productivity in Guinea by using agricultural tools equivalent to 150 tractors, boosting yield per decare from 2,000 kilograms to 6,000 kilograms.

Kemalettin Bayat, Agricultural Group Chairman of Ziraat Bank, said that Ziraat Bank will continue to support producers.

"In the last 5 years, we increased our share in the agricultural sector from 64% to 72%. By the end of 2024, we provided 72% of the total agricultural banking loans amounting to 889 billion TL, meaning we provided more than 645 billion TL for the agricultural sector," he said.

During the summit session titled 'Strategic Importance of Food Supply Security,' Osman Y?ld?z, General Director of Agricultural Reform at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, emphasized that agricultural production should be done in a planned manner. "We will first produce to meet our own needs. We are a country with limited water resources, and we are working on efficient water use,” he said.

Erkan Tek, Head of Strategy Development at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, also shared information about food supply security. He noted, "The pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have made this issue more urgent. According to a study by OECD a few years ago, in the last 50 years, the world population has doubled, food production has tripled, but total agricultural land has decreased by 15%. In such conditions, ensuring supply security both in the world and in Turkiye is only possible through increased efficiency."

Ülkü Karaku?, President of the Turkiye Agriculture Council at the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye (TOBB), stated, "As agricultural areas shrink every day, we are countering this. In the 21st century, it is not 100% possible for countries to be self-sufficient, but during the pandemic, we saw that Turkiye was able to meet all its needs with its resources. Turkiye has no dependency on seeds from abroad.”

Eyüp Demir, General Manager of Mezra Ziraat, shared that they had implemented a 'New Farmer Program' for young people, and nearly 300 young people had started farming. "We continued these trainings in Mezra and SUKKAR. We achieved an increase in productivity," he said.

Abdullah Eri?, Board Member of MÜS?AD, stated, "Farmers and we have things to do. We can succeed in this together.