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Chairman of Antalya Commodity Exchange Ali Çandır said that a new structuring that spans 12 months in agriculture should be done…
Ali Çandır said, “We only produce seasonal products under cover. Our ties with the customer remain and end within certain periods. To spread this bond to 12 months, we need to think more regionally in agriculture. We need to go to a restructuring considering the summer and winter climates.”
Antalya Commodity Exchange Chairman Ali Çandır was the guest of an online meeting of the Antalya Businessmen Association (ANTGİAD). Çandır, while making evaluations about the economy and agriculture affected by corona virus, explained Antalya’s agricultural potential.
Çandır pointed out that the agricultural growth of Antalya, which showed an 8 percent growth performance between 1970-2002, remained at 3.4 percent between 2003-2019. Noting that Antalya could not add a new story to its success during 1980s with tourism and under cover agriculture in the 1990s, Çandır explained, “We need new success stories. Antalya is a province with strong potential and this should definitely be evaluated.”
“Proposal for restructuring in agriculture”
Noting that agriculture, which was ignored for a period and then disreputed, could not get the investment it deserved, Çandır stressed that the share of agriculture in national income also decreased.
Indicating that Turkey is an exporter country in agriculture, Çandır added, “But when we look at the export in agriculture, the situation is no good. We have a structure that fills the gap in accordance with our season. Yet we need to provide market diversity and extend the season.”
Underlining that although it seems to be rich in soil, Çandır clarified, “Agricultural lands are not very wide in Antalya. The agricultural land of our province has fallen to 17 percent due to construction and other reasons. Our agricultural land is decreasing.”
“We must change the product pattern”
Emphasizing that Antalya is the leader across the country with a 37 percent share in under cover agriculture, Çandır concluded, “Antalya has begun to lose this advantage with the proliferation of geothermal greenhouses and state supports. So our advantage from the climatic conditions is beginning to disappear gradually. Therefore, we need to change the product pattern. We need to evolve our agriculture towards products of light in weight but heavy in value pattern. Agriculture needs a significant transformation.”
