Kayhan Yıldırım: Türkiye aims to be among the top 5 countries in seed production

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August 2026…

Kayhan Yıldırım, Chair of the Turkish Seed Growers Association (TÜRKTOB), stated that Türkiye, which exports seeds to 117 countries, aims to be among the top 5 in this field.

ANTALYA…

Yıldırım told an Anatolian Agency (AA) reporter that the “International Asian Seed Congress” (ASC 2026) will be held for the first time in Türkiye, organized by the Asia Pacific Seed Association (APSA) in cooperation with TÜRKTOB and the Turkish Seed Industry Association (TÜRKTED), under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Referring to the importance of the meeting, which will be held in Antalya from December 1-5, Yıldırım said that Asia Pacific countries account for 30 percent of the world’s seed market.

Yıldırım pointed out that Asia Pacific countries possess 30 percent of the approximately 70 billion dollars market and stated that ASC 2026 is important for Türkiye and Asia Pacific countries.

Pointing out that the country’s geographical location provides a great advantage, Yıldırım said, “Because we are right in the middle of Central Asia, Europe, Asia and North Africa, our seed industry is very important here. These kinds of congresses will be a major factor in us becoming not just a seed transit point, but a seed centre.”

The export-to-import ratio has reached 141 percent…

Noting that it was significant for the congress to be held for the first time in its history in the far west, specifically in Türkiye, which acts as a bridge between Asia and Europe, Yıldırım continued as follows:

“In recent years, we have recorded significant increases in our seed exports. The export-to-import ratio, which was 108 percent in 2018, has risen to 141 percent today. We believe that the seed industry will develop even faster with such congresses. We think that this development will make significant contributions to our country and the sector’s capacity to produce added value. Türkiye ranks 10th in the world in seed production. Our future goal is to further develop in seed production and bring our country towards the 5th place. We export seeds to 117 countries. If we include ornamental plants, seedlings and saplings, it exceeds 130 countries.”