THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Press release…
Akhisar (a district of Manisa province) Commodity Exchange Chairman Alper Alhat made a call to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for neglected agricultural lands and said, “We have to protect the unsown agricultural lands.”
Alper Alhat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Akhisar Commodity Exchange, said that every country has its own problems in pandemic, agricultural production has become increasingly important and there are disruptions in food trade between countries. Alhat stated that measures to increase agricultural production are essential in order to face the second and third stages of the epidemic.
Indicating that there is a large number of uncultivated agricultural lands and neglected orchards across Turkey, Alhat explained, “We should adopt our lands and our own trees. Ministries, Provincial and District Agricultural Directorates should attempt to ensure the cultivating of these lands. The lands should be monitored from the satellite and unattended lands should be determined. Motivations should be provided by meeting with the owners. If not, the options to encourage renting or selling to the next neighbour should be brought up.”
Modern agriculture is a must…
Emphasizing that olive cultivation has become a model called “super intensive” all over the world, with 185 olive trees per decare, Alhat added, “In this way, while productivity increases, costs decrease. However, in our country, the farmer cannot make money because of the adverse situation. Thus consumers have to consume the most expensive olive oil in the world. We have to leave canned approaches and move on to modern agricultural practices.”
Agriculture should be saved to be a gambling…
Recalling that there are supply imbalances in various agricultural products due to unplanned production, Alhat noted, “We often read and see the news that the consumer eats too costly but on the other hand farmers make a loss. We should switch to the contracted agriculture model, where the producers will know what to gain at the end of the season and that agriculture will cease to be a gambling. As a result of the arrangements to be made, a model will be created that producers earn and consumers are fed correctly.”
The abundance of Akhisar…
Reminding that there are over 400 olive businesses in Akhisar district, Alhat concluded, “60 of them with big brand manufacturers in Turkey. They come from different cities but they see Akhisar as their hometown and work for this region. So thanks to this solidarity, the abundance of Akhisar has increased. By the way our salt levels have been reduced in table olives, furthermore production and storage are carried out under more hygienic conditions. Naturally, the taste and quality exist in Akhisar.”
