TURKISH AGRI.NEWS

Turkey's successful fight against the new coronavirus, along with the hesitations or supply disruptions on purchases from countries hit hard by the pandemic, has stren gthened the brand image of Turkish food. As a result, orders from Asian and European purchasing groups have significantly increased – up to 100% in some product categories, sector representatives said. Many purchasing groups from Asia to Europe shifted their orders to Turkey, especially for products like packaged food. Turkey Food and Beverage Industry Associations Federation Vice Chairman Rint Akyüz said they expect food exports to reach $20 billion this year. The bestselling products during this period were ketchup, various kinds of sauce and tomato paste in particular. Turkish tomato paste producers, which rank fourth after America, China, Spain and Italy, have seen orders increase significantly. Sector representatives believe Turkey has emerged as a reliable alternative. Even Asian buyers now have he...

Sibel Silici, Professor of Agricultural Biotechnology, Erciyas University (ERÜ), who has been working on propolis for 27 years in Kayseri and has won many international awards for his studies, published her works as a book. Professor Dr. Sibel Silici said that other bee products, especially propolis, have immune system regulating and stimulating effects. Not improving immune system but regulating... Stating that bee products provide protection against both bacterial and viral infections with this aspect. Dr. Silici said, "The immune system means immunity in medical language, the foreign body and microorganisms that enter our body from all the mechanisms. It is an immune system that we will strengthen with factors such as acquired immunity, healthy nutrition, sports, quality sleep." Emphasizing that propolis has a stimulating and regulatory effect on the immune system, Dr. Silici noted, "It is wrong to say that it increases the immune system because sometimes t...

The yield and quality of dried figs will be increased by trainings on social media... In order to increase the quality of paradise dried figs, sample applications will be made in sample gardens... Mycotoxin formation is the most important factor that negatively affects dried fig exports and causes it to come back from the countries to which it is exported. In order to prevent this formation and to minimize the problem, meetings will be organized with the producers to raise awareness through social media applications. Dried Figs Board, operating under the coordination of Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association, held an online meeting during the pandemic process within the scope of producing and exporting more quality products on which Turkey ranks first. During the meeting, measures to be taken towards solutions were discussed in order not to increase the frequency of controls of aflatoxin and ochratoxin in European Union, the largest export market of Tu...

Turkey's milk production up over 6% in Q1 of 2020... Country's statistical authority says milk collected by integrated dairies totaled nearly 2.5M tons Turkey's cow milk production rose by 6.3% year-on-year in January-March, the country's statistical authority said on Tuesday. TurkStat (TÜİK) said in a statement that the amount of cow milk collected by the integrated dairies was 2.48 million tons in the first quarter of this year. Official figures showed that drinking milk production also saw an annual rise in January-March -- up 11.3% to 422,076 tons. In first three months of this year, Turkey produced 184,038 tons of cheese, 98% of which was made from cow milk as the rest was produced from sheep, goat, buffalo and mixed milk. Yogurt production by integrated dairies increased by 3.8% to 272,535 tons during the same period. Production of the salty yogurt drink, ayran, came up at 154,266 tons, decreasing 2.5% compared to the same quarter of last year...

In the corona days, where the importance of agriculture, animal husbandry and food supply were better understood all over the world, the eyes were turned into successful entrepreneurs in this field. Funda Özer Baltalı, who started her career as a banker after Robert College and her law education and then returned to his business life as a mother, was one of them. Baltalı Gıda (Food), got started in 2008 and located in Seferihisar district of Izmir province, solely produces goat milk and its products. Funda Özer Baltalı who provides the milk from goats in her own farm explained: “We have a special high-breed of goats. Our goats are grown in the healthiest conditions, under the supervision of specialists, by making all the controls. It has the necessary international certificates in terms of food safety. We also work on product development for allergic children and adults in cooperation with universities. Our product range, where we use 100 percent goat milk, includes daily...

Press release... agROBOfood is offering 2.65 M€ to SMEs through its’ 1 st Open Call for Innovation Experiments! agROBOfood is a Horizon 2020 project aiming to build a European ecosystem for the effective adoption of robotic technologies in the agrifood sector and to support SMEs become more efficient and competitive. agROBOfood connects the world of Robotics, Agriculture, R&D and business by creating a sustainable network of Digital Innovation Hubs. The network already counts 49 Digital Innovation Hubs and 12 Competence Centers, established in 7 Regional Clusters around Europe, which will support companies in digitization by connecting various stakeholders. The heart of the project is formed by Innovation Experiments, organized and monitored by the Digital Innovation Hubs. In the Regional Clusters, Initial Innovation Experiments will demonstrate robotics innovations in agri-food, in a manner that ensures replicability and wide adoption across Europe. agROBOfood, in an at...

The wave of protectionist measures on agricultural goods that emerged as the coronavirus spread around the world has already begun to recede. Of at least 17 countries that sought to limit food exports to protect local supplies, about half have backtracked all or some of the measures, according to a tracker from the International Food Policy Research Institute. That includes several major grain shippers such as Vietnam and Romania, although top wheat exporter Russia has kept its curbs in place. Immediate worries about food shortages have eased in many parts of the world as supply chains continue to flow despite lockdowns. Meanwhile, even short-lived restrictions have resulted in spoiled crops and stranded cargoes. Organizations such as the United Nations have urged against measures that could harm food security and raise prices. Food Hoarding... “There wasn’t really any issue with having tight inventories,” said Abdolreza Abbassian, senior economist at the United Nations’...

Haluk Okutur, Chairman of the Board of Istanbul Grain, Pulses, Oil Seeds and Products Exporters' Association (İHBİR), said that 100 billion dollars for agricultural product exports is not a dream... May 11, 2020, Emphasizing that the world is rapidly moving towards a new era that will take shape over food technologies, İHBİR Chairman Haluk Okutur said, “Processing, packaging, branding and adding our agricultural products that we grow in the fertile lands of this beautiful country and we can have it valuable and make a very important contribution to the export figures of our country. 100 billion dollars in the export of agricultural products is not a dream. Digital agriculture will also put the reverse migration into effect." Stating that regarding the export of agricultural products, Okutur noted, "In particular, new projects and initiatives to be constructed on the positive aspects of the pandemic process which brought to life and thereafter in Turkey's agr...

SALUTE THE FARMERS! NO FARMERS, NO FOOD, NO LIFE...

Turkey’s fruit producers are entering Thailand's $210 million (TL 1.4 billion) apple market, widening their new market opportunities in Asia after beginning exporting cherries to China last year. Exporters who have been in search of new markets and recently opened to East Asia have begun to gradually receive positive feedback, with a permit approved by Thailand being one of the latest examples. China’s approval of cherry imports from Turkey has paved the way for further fruit exports to the Asian market, sector representatives say. Aegean Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Chairman Hayrettin Uçak said that officials from Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives have overseen the process and gave approval to Turkish producers, noting that notification on issues such as shipping method, garden requirements, monitoring and packaging systems will be sent separately by the ministry and they will inform Turkish exporters in line with the requirements. Uçak noted t...

Turkey on May 12 announced that tea producers will be allowed to travel to the cities their fields are located in with a special permit as partial restrictions continue in the country. In a statement, the Interior Ministry said that tea producers will be allowed as of May 19 midnight following the lifting of a four-day partial curfew. The ministry added that those tea producers, who were given travel permission, have made a commitment to staying only in the designated areas for 14 days and to comply with the COVID-19 measures. The long-awaited permission came days before tea harvesting began in Turkey’s tea production provinces. After originating in China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 187 countries and regions. Europe and the U.S. are currently the worst-hit regions.