Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı stated, “As of the end of 2022, our crop production figure was 129 million tons. As of 2023, this figure has reached 137 million tons. Hopefully, we will further increase this figure in 2024.”
Yumaklı, speaking at the seed distribution program organized at the Adana Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, said that agriculture has been one of the fundamental pillars of humanity throughout history.
Stressing the importance of agriculture for food supply, Yumaklı said, “Estimations for 2050 indicate that the world population will reach 10 billion, and our population will be approximately 100 million, even surpassing 100 million. Feeding this population, producing enough food, is certainly critical and important. Increasing productivity in production and ensuring more production from the same area is the only way to overcome this issue.”
Yumaklı emphasized the importance of productivity in agriculture, continuing his words:
“We must engage in sustainable agricultural production. We must produce what we produce efficiently. The products we produce efficiently must be of high quality. Our record-keeping must be at a high level for better planning for the future, and the profit derived from all of this must be reinvested back into the sector. Productivity is an extremely challenging process. From seed to harvest, there are many factors, many important issues within that timeframe, some of which are under our control and some of which are not. The seed is the most vital, most important starting point. Having seeds that are resistant to diseases, adapted to the climate, and truly resilient in the desired quality is the most important condition for production and productivity in agriculture. We know that high-quality seeds affect the average yield by 25%. In fact, this ratio can be much higher for some products. Therefore, productivity is one of the most important factors in increasing production and reducing costs.”
“Our country is one of the top 10 countries in the world related to seed production” Minister Yumaklı explained that seed production is now seen as the key to a country’s self-sufficiency and even freedom, saying:
“We have expressed this many times in our country as well. Our country is one of the top 10 countries in the world related to seed production. Especially in recent years, both the number of companies conducting research and development in seed production and the work of our Ministry, especially the Agricultural Research and Policies General Directorate, have expanded not only at the national level but also at the international level. Today, I am saying this with great confidence; yesterday we were in Şanlıurfa, and we talked about the same thing there too. Even if everything is reset, we have the nuclei of a sufficient number of products stored in our gene banks, thank God.”
Yumaklı stated that Turkey has great advantages in terms of climate conditions for developing seed production and that significant progress has been made in this field in the last 22 years.
Emphasizing their awareness of the strategic value of local seeds, Yumaklı reported that 37 ancestor seeds are preserved in the gene bank along with other products.
“97 kilograms of every 100 kilograms of seed is produced in Turkey” Yumaklı explained that the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies prepares and develops products, and the General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises (TİGEM) implements and distributes them to producers in Turkey, saying, “I can proudly say this; 97 kilograms of every 100 kilograms of seed used and produced in Turkey are produced in this country’s lands. Of course, we do not think that this is sufficient as a country. It is our duty to steer scientific developments and make them more open to development in the future.”
Yumaklı stated that Adana is an important city that produces and uses certified seeds, reminding that the “Activation of Agricultural Lands Use Project” is currently implemented throughout Turkey and they distribute seeds in the provinces they visit within the scope of this project.
Drawing attention to the activation or utilization of uncultivated agricultural lands, Yumaklı said, “Increasing production is our must. As of the end of 2022, our crop production figure was 129 million tons. As of 2023, this figure has reached 137 million tons. Hopefully, we will further increase this figure in 2024. We will continue to implement the Activation of Agricultural Lands Use Project. We will support our producers with grants ranging from 50% to 75% with certified seeds to enable them to make more efficient and quality productions.”
Yumaklı provided information about the activities their ministry will carry out in Adana.
Adana Governor Yavuz Selim Köşger stated that within the scope of the TAKE Project, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will distribute seeds worth more than 54 million liras, including 28 million 925 thousand liras in ministry-supported funds for soybean, sunflower, chickpea, and dry bean.
Köşger emphasized that projects like the TAKE Project clearly demonstrate the importance the state attaches to agricultural production and food security.
Köşger stated that Adana, with its fertile lands, is strategically important for food security, saying, “At this point, very important projects have been implemented in our city.”
Yumaklı emphasized that they will continue to work to make farmers and producers happy, just as they have done until today. He said, “We do not make decisions alone. All our decisions are made in consultation with the sector. Therefore, during the time we have worked shoulder to shoulder, we will make the best use of our existing potential to increase production in Turkey and to increase our competitiveness in the world.”
source: aa.com.tr/ prepared by Melisa Beğiç