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Turkish Grain Board (TMO) General Manager Ahmet Güldal said that a good production period has been passed in agriculture and 2020 will be a better period than last year.
Güldal said, “We are faced with a yield above the average of previous years.”
Stating that for the sustainability of agriculture, the producers should earn income from the products they produce, Güldal said, “For the continuity of the production of TMO, it was essential to determine and explain the product prices before the harvest period. We have made this traditional for the last 2-3 years.”
Explaining that the farmers determined these values by calculating their costs, Güldal stated, “We make cost and domestic-foreign market analyzes, compare the purchasing prices of the previous year, look at the harvest. Then we determine a price policy that will encourage the producer to plant next year.”
Pointing out that in the last two years, producers have frequently expressed that they have not experienced any problems with the announced prices, Güldal noted, “Our grain yield is 5-8 percent higher in 2020 compared to the previous year, depending on the products. 2020 will be a better period than the last year. We have had a production period. We are faced with a yield above the average of the previous years without being affected by natural disasters, without major losses in yields and experiencing quality problems.”
Emphasizing that stocking stands out as a concept that is negatively evaluated by the public, agricultural products should be stocked and preserved under certain conditions in order to be offered to consumers for 12 months and Güldal continued as follows:
“TMO, where we can stock 4.2 million tons, has a warehouse capacity. Apart from that, there is a licensed warehousing system, which has become increasingly important in recent years. This has reached a capacity of about 6 million tons and is gradually increasing. By 2023, it will reach around 10 million tons of storage. In some products, it is on our radar to store the product for buying or not to sell it. In this regard, we have a very serious sensitivity in terms of not allowing, as required by our institution’s mission.”
“Pandemic period remained empty of many supermarket shelves around the world, while the supermarket shelves in Turkey, left empty only up to half an hour,” Güldal added.
“This shows that Turkey has a very strong infrastructure and industry. It continued production, our factories worked. Food retailers, transporters, suppliers all have done their part. They carried out the process without any abnormality in prices,” Güldal concluded…
