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Showing posts from August, 2019

DR. FATİH SEYİS: THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE PRODUCT TO TEA

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Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University (RTEU) Dean of Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences. Dr. Fatih Seyis said that some talk about developing alternative products to tea, but not any crop can be an alternative product to tea. Seyis, in his written statement, expressed his satisfaction of the campaign named, "Hayde Çaya Bakalım" (Come on let's drink tea) initiated by ÇAYKUR Deputy Director Yusuf Ziya Alim and said that this is a formation of a new ownership  toward tea. Seyis stated, "In the 1970s, 1 kilo of tea came to a worker's 3 daily wage. Since then about 1 million people with their families today farm on 835 thousand hectares, living on by tea producing." Seyis, while dealing with agricultural issues, also noted, "We should be involved in understanding the producers. There is a lot of misinformation about fertilization. The amount of nitrogen that needs to be thrown into the tea is 15 kilograms per decare, but our producers can throw 20...

INVITATION FROM EGG PRODUCERS TO IRAQI MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE SALİH HASANİ...

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Turkey's ambassador to Baghdad Fatih Yıldız invited the Minister of Agriculture Salih Hasani to Turkey while passing the expectations of Turkish egg producers. Turkey's ambassador to Baghdad Fatih Yıldız, said in a statement from Twitter accounts, visited the  minister in his office in Baghdad in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry cooperation issues, he said they discussed. After bringing Iraq's prohibition to egg imports, voicing message the expectations of Turkey, "Iraqis need eggs so I emphasized that we expect to open the way for Iraq to re-egg imports," he said. Indicating that the Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli and the egg producers in Afyonkarahisar invited Salih Hasani and noted that on the visit of Iraqi Minister, Turkey will have the opportunity to review all aspects.

BARREN LANDS OF KONYA COME TOGETHER WITH WATER THROUGH BLUE TUNNEL...

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The 100-year dream of the Konya Plain became a reality... Göksu Basin water flowing to the Mediterranean while wasted, now began to meet with the Plain  through the canals gathered in the dams of Konya, the main witnesses of this historical moment spoke hopeful for the future Water brought from Göksu River Basin to Turkey's granary Konya Plain began to meet with soil. The Konya Plain Project prepared by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid Khan in 1907 is completed to make the barren lands suitable for agriculture. The water flowing from the Göksu Basin to the Mediterranean Sea is transferred through canals with a length of 225 kilometers and accumulated in dams. With the Blue Tunnel Project, one of the important pillars of the project, 125 km long Apa Hotamış Transmission Channel, which will transfer water to Konya Plain, was provided with trial water. The water released from Suğla Storage reached Acıgöl in Süleymanhacı Village of Karaman and Hotamış Storage 10 kilometers southea...

ONE OUT OF THREE TROUT EXPORTED FROM KAYSERİ AS PRODUCTION RISES...

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Kayseri province have a key impact on the trout in inland waters, as the pup grows one out of every three trout exported from Turkey. Kayseri have a key impact on fish production in landlocked provinces in Turkey, one out of every three trout fry grow as issued. Millions of trout are produced on farms in the reservoirs of Kayseri and transferred to other farms while they are juvenile. Kayseri Agriculture and Forestry Director Mustafa Şahin said that there are millions of fish on trout producing farms. Pointing out that Kayseri takes place in the front among landlocked provinces regarding fish production, Şahin said: "We are one of the first three in trout production. Kayseri in this sense, besides making the fish self-produced small portions, distributing fish fries on all four sides of Turkey. In particular, we have incubation households in our Pınarbaşı district. Here the young fish are a little more magnified in Yamula Dam on certain size. Then they are transferred ...

TURKEY'S FIRST NATIONAL ELECTRIC TRACTOR ON TESTING PHASE...

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Tekirdağ - Turkey's first national and local electric tractor, is being tested in Tekirdağ Viticultural Research Institute. General Director of Agricultural Research and Policies Özkan Kayacan made explanations about the characteristics of the electric tractor. Driving tests in Turkey's first national and local electric tractor of Tekirdag Viticulture Research Institute. In an explanation about the electric tractor, it was stated that it was tried to be offered to farmers within 1 year. "We can use it between 10 and 12 hours" Özkan Kayacan, General Manager of Agricultural Research and Policies, said in a statement that he participated in the test studies and said, "We can use it for 7 hours, except that we can use it for about 10 to 12 hours, such as trailer towing, load towing, spraying, etc. It was a dream when we first started. We have achieved a lot more power than we really expected, hopefully we are ready to put this power in the service of our farm...

PAKDEMİRLİ: LAND CONSOLIDATION PROJECTS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED

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Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Bekir Pakdemirli said that in parallel with Turkey's 2023 objectives, primarily modern irrigation projects where economically irrigated areas of 8.5 million hectares and simultaneously land consolidation projects will be implemented. According to a written statement from the ministry, it is emphasized that land consolidation and irrigation is one of the most important measures to increase productivity in the country which has about 28 million hectares of agricultural land. 14.2 million hectares of agricultural land in the country is suitable for land consolidation. In this context, land registration activities have been completed on 3.6 million hectares of land within the scope of consolidation works carried out by various institutions and organizations on 8.2 million hectares until 2018. Minister Pakdemirli stated in the statement that the purpose of land consolidation is not only to combine larger agricultural parcels to obtain lar...

CHERRY FROM AFYONKARAHİSAR GOES A LONG WAY TO CHINA AS EXPECTATIONS HIGH...

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Director of Agriculture and Forestry Afyonkarahisar Province İbrahim Acar said that a fall of yield though it was not too much realized in cherry harvest this year compared to past years. Stating that approximately 40 thousand tons of cherry production obtained this year, Acar said, "Afyonkarahisar cherry is mostly exported because of its quality. Especially goes to Russia from European countries. This year cherries from Afyonkarahisar went to China for the first time." "Producers are happy" Pointing out that Chinese market opened thanks to conducted diplomacy, Acar added, "In cherry exports the biggest obstacle between the two countries was the condition of 'keeping the product in cold weather for 16 days' but eliminates this requirement has been removed. Currently although we have exported to China at low level, though that 20 tons, but it was paved the way for coming years exporting of cherries from Afyonkarahisar to China." Noting tha...

TİGEM TO PRODUCE 10 TONS OF CANNABIS SEEDS BY THE END OF THIS YEAR...

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As a result of to regain cannabis to Turkish economy has come on the agenda...    Works are underway to increase the production in a healthy path. The General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises (TİGEM), affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, will produce 10 tons of seed by the end of the year in order to reach the correct seed producer. Provincial Directorates of Agriculture and Forestry provide information to both the farmer and his staff about the issues to be considered during the production process of the plant. Private sector representatives are planning to invest in provinces such as Samsun, which are planned to be the center of cannabis. Cannabis production is permitted in Amasya, Zonguldak, Kütahya, Samsun, Antalya, Bartın, Rize, Kastamonu, Burdur, Çorum, Izmir, Karabük, Kayseri, Malatya, Ordu, Sinop, Tokat, Uşak, Yozgat and districts of these provinces for the proper production of plants local studies are ongoing. Provincial Directora...

SAFFET KALYONCU: APPROXIMATELY 3000 TONS OF HONEY EXPORTED BETWEEN JANUARY AND JULY

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Turkish honey, in the January-July period of the year, sweetened the mouths around the world. According to information compiled from the data of Eastern Black Sea Exporters' Association (DKİB), 2 thousand 945 tonnes of honey was sold, yielding 12 million 857 thousand 187 dollars of revenue in return during the period of January - July. Germany took first place in honey export. In this period, 3 million 721 thousand 369 dollars in Germany for 38 thousand tons of honey was sold. USA, the second with 2 million 459 thousand 724 dollars, Saudi Arabia with 2 million 6 thousand 874 dollars third, Kuwait 852 thousand 418 dollars, fourth, Austria 458 thousand 396 dollars with fifth income. During the period in question, honey was exported to China, Bulgaria, Libya, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Somalia, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Morocco. INTEREST TO TURKISH HONEY INCREASING DKİB Chairman Saffet Kalyoncu said that the interest in Turkish honey...

TURKISH AGRICULTURE TO BE SUPPORTED BY THE SATELLITE LAGARİ...

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With its projects and products in the field of technology, Defense Technologies Inc. (STM) plays an important role in the defense sector. It signed an important protocol with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Within the scope of cooperation protocol; Turkey's first high-resolution images provided by the STM, which is micro-satellite developed by LAGARİ, will be used by the Ministry for agricultural applications. The protocol of cooperation signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM) and STM on 26 August 2019; It is an important step in the use of local satellite technologies and defense industry competencies in line with civil public needs. BENEFITS FROM DEFENSE TECHNOLOGIES IN AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS... It is planned to meet the optical image needs of public institutions through LAGARİ which will be launched in 2020. Following the preliminary studies, The Ministry of Agriculture an...

CULINARY EXPORTS OF TURKEY GENERATING OVER 16 BILLION DOLLARS...

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Anyone whose path has crossed Turkish territories, who has ever watched Turkish TV series or befriended a Turkish person with good culinary skills, has had the pleasure of enjoying a mouthwatering meal of Turkish cuisine. One of the most diverse cuisines in the world, the fame of Turkish food continues to spread thanks to increased diplomatic efforts, the dominance of TV series in the global market and the continuous growth of the tourism sector. As a result, Turkey has become the fifth top cuisine exporter in the world, generating $16.6 billion in net exports, according to a study by the University of Minnesota. A new paper titled "Dining Out as Cultural Trade" by Joel Waldfogel of the University of Minnesota, in which the culinary habits of 52 countries are evaluated based on data compiled from the travel-view website TripAdvisor and sales figures from the market research firm Euromonitor, has measured the trade in culinary exchange. According to Waldfogel's c...

AYHAN BARUT: CORN PRICES WILL BE REVISED TO 1.200 LİRAS

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Republican People's Party (CHP) Adana Deputy, Member of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs Commission in Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Ayhan Barut demanded that the price of 1.150 liras per ton of corn to be revised at least to 1.200 liras. Barut said that the base price of corn was declared with an increase of only 21 percent 1.150 liras per ton this year. Barut pointed out that the costs of diesel, fertilizer, pesticides, electricity and irrigation, which constitute the most important item of agricultural production cost items, are constantly increasing, but crops produced by farmers with big efforts don't pay back. Barut stated, "Wheat prices increased by 29 percent this year compared to 2018. Even this did not meet the expectations of producers. While we wanted to meet the expectations of wheat producers with premium support, corn producers were disappointed with the base price announced. Despite the increase in diesel, fertilizer and pesticide prices, ...

WHEAT HARVEST CONTINUES IN SAMSUN WHILE ENDS IN SOME DISTRICTS...

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Samsun Provincial Deputy Director of Agriculture and Forestry Bayram Ay declared that according to 2 percent grain limit during the wheat harvest by combine harvester, 4 million 415 thousand liras earned to the provincial economy. Wheat harvest started in Alaçam district of Samsun and ended in Ladik district as of August. Bayram Ay said, "It is estimated that 358 thousand tons of wheat is produced in approximately 1 million decares of land in our city in 2019. Approximately 840 thousand decares of the total wheat cultivation area has been harvested with a combine harvester. 360 harvesters are registered to the agricultural chamber in our province. Wheat, barley, sunflower, paddy and soybean harvest is carried out by combine harvesters." "In total, 221 inspections carried out in wheat harvest in 13 districts with 50 controllers in total, average wheat yield 388 kilogram per decare and harvested amount is 326 thousand 707 tons and grain loss rate is 0.85 percent ...

AGRIFOOD 2030: THE FOUNDATION FOR A LONG TERM STRATEGY...

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AgriFood 2030: the foundation for a long-term strategy... A single infopoint for entrepreneurs, joint research facilities and even more opportunities to share knowledge. Within a few months, companies will begin to notice the changes the new AgriFood 2030 program is bringing. “We will be making our regional collaboration even stronger,” says Roger van Hoesel , Managing Director at Foodvalley and one of the initiators. “This region can become the Silicon Valley of agriculture and food”. Knowledge intensive ecosystem... Both inside and outside the Netherlands, Foodvalley has a reputation to maintain as the knowledge-intensive ecosystem for innovation in healthy and sustainable food. “In this region, companies work openly and fully together and the whole world comes here to make their new innovations real,” says Van Hoesel. “Yet we are still not getting everything possible out of this ecosystem.” For example, many initiatives are often financed for only a short period. “Halfway through...

NEŞET UÇAR: NUMBER OF PISTACHIO TREES INCREASE UNPREDICTABLY

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Due to the high return on pistachio, the interest of producers is increasing. Chairman of Gaziantep Pistachio Industrialists' Association, Neşet Uçar said that previously consumed as a snack pistachios is now an industrial product. Stating that currently pistachios consumption of 10 large companies equals to about a thousand tons monthly, Uçar said, "So the pistachio is now indispensable to the industrialists. Therefore consumption is much more than before." Uçar also noted that the future of pistachio was quite good and 220 thousand tons yield was obtained last year, "The number of trees in pistachio is increasing unpredictably. About 10 years later we can get 400 thousand tons of pistachio harvest. So we can reach twice the present. The producer increases the interest of pistachio because it is a product that provides much more income compared to most agricultural products" he added. Call for incentives... Uçar expects that the presence of pistac...

SÜLEYMAN BULUŞAN: POTATO PRICE JUMPS FOURFOLD IN THE MARKET

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Potato harvest has begun in Eskişehir province where one of Turkey's most important agricultural centers. The producers who are satisfied with the yield, suffer from the cheapness of sales prices and the fact that input prices are expensive. In the Tepebaşı region of Eskişehir, summer potato dismantling started. About 1500 thousand decares of potato cultivation was done in the region. The producers, who are satisfied with the yield this year, have said that the prices of basic inputs such as diesel and fertilizer have doubled compared to last year. Since the sales prices sufferer producers, potatoes sells for only 1 lira. Commenting on the subject, Tepebaşı County Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Süleyman Buluşan said that fear of producers will increase in the coming days whether prices might fall. Stating that they are satisfied with the yield, "Price of field sold potatoes goes to 1 lira while it sells 4 liras in the market" Buluşan noted. Buluşan also expl...

PALANDÖKEN: ADVANCE PAYMENTS RELIEVE FARMERS AND ALSO TRADESMEN

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Turkey Tradesmen and Artisans Confederation (TESK) Chairman Bendevi Palandöken, stating that down payment to farmers will relieve markets, said if farmers get the prepayment, it becomes water of life. Palandöken, in his written statement, said that if advance payments are made by taking into account of the base prices of wheat, tea, nuts, olives and the other products, in this case both producers and artisans will be happy. Palandöken added: "Most importantly, the farmer will be able to pay the debt to our tradesmen on time and to get products of the next year cheaper. The cost will be reduced because of cash payment. Prices will tend to fall instead of price hike. Otherwise, after a few months, the farmer is in a difficult situation and he has to go to the merchant and sell his product below his price." Palandöken, noting that the number of farmers decreased, also pointed out that the fall should be prevented in order to become a self-sufficient country in agricultur...

AVOCADO EXPORTS FROM ALANYA TO INCREASE AS PRODUCTION RISES...

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Avocados produced in Alanya, a leading agricultural district in Turkey's Mediterranean city Antalya, has begun exporting avocados to Poland. It joins Alanya's existing markets like Ukraine, Romania, Russia, Georgia and Iran. Alanya Avocado Producers Association Chairman Hilmi Sevilgen said the association recently recorded its first exports of "early" avocados. He added that Alanya accounts for more than 70 percent of avocados produced in Turkey. "We aim to produce 50 million avocados in an area of 40,000 hectares," he said. Sevilgen noted that avocado production was not at the desired level in recent years, but together with the harvest of "early" avocados, demands from abroad have begun to increase. He also noted they wanted to expand the market for avocado exports. "We have sent 5,000 avocados to Poland on a trial basis. When we have enough products, we will send 90,000 more avocados to Poland," Sevilgen said. "Normally we w...

CHERRY EXPORTS GENERATES 183 MILLION DOLLARS IN NINE MONTHS...

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Turkish cherry growers have surpassed their yearly export target of 80,000 tons, thanks to the opening up of the Chinese market and favorable seasonal conditions, generating a record 183 million dollars in revenues.  According to the Aegean Exporters' Association (EİB), Turkey's cherry exports, in the eight-month season between Jan. 1 and Aug. 21, hit 80,406 tons worth 183.1 million dollars. The figure broke the previous record set back in 2016, despite a two-week delay in the initiation of export operations. The EİB data showed that Turkey exported 78,524 tons of cherries worth 182.6 million dollars in 2016. Exports, however, declined the following year to only 59,806 tons, generating 158.9 million dollars. Last year, the aggregate cherry exports were recorded at 76,094 tons, worth 161.6 million dollars. Germany came first among buyers of Turkish cherries with imports worth 87.3 million dollars. It was followed by Russia with 42.1 million dollars in cherry imports. The Net...

PAKDEMİRLİ: RAISIN PRODUCTION WILL BE OVER 300 THOUSAND TONNES

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Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said that throughout 2019, 4.2 million tons of fresh grapes and 300 thousand tonnes of seedless grape harvest is expected, if it falls below 10 liras of seedless grapes stock exchange price, they will make intervention purchases by Turkish Grain Board (TMO). Stating that Manisa exceeds 1.2 million tonnes of the total grape production and provides 85 percent of Turkish raisin production along with the 20 percent of table grape production, Pakdemirli explained during his ministry despite increasing costs, they have declared such prices that farmers would be satisfied. Without putting the state under load, following the markets well, Pakdemirli noted that they tried to increase the earnings of the farmers and said: "Everyone in the chain from seed to fork will get their right. But we need to re-plan and programme the value chain here. Especially we need to make the fresh fruit and vegetable business the producer will gain the...

PROF. DR. YAVUZ TEKELİOĞLU: 'GI' IS THE NAME OF A PLACE THAT INDICATES A PRODUCT

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Florida orange, Roquefort cheese, New Zealand lamb or Gaziantep baklavası, Ezine cheese, Malatya apricot... These all are geographical indications... Recently, geographical indications have been on Turkey's agenda more than it has ever been. The speech of the President of the Republic of Turkey at the Turkish Patent Awards Ceremonies of 2015-2016 and the Industrial Property Law enacted in January 2017 have been the initiator of this development. Geographical Indication(s) (GI) are distinctive, Official quality signs ensuring the origin of production and production methods of the products recognised and renowned by consumers. The GI, which has a very long history, was used to indicate the origins of the durable bricks and stones used in the construction of pyramids in ancient Egypt, while it was used in ancient Greek as a quality sign of Thasos Island wines. The use of GI, just like Parmigiano Reggiano and Comté, goes back to the 13th century. Roquefort cheese, whose '...

PRODUCTION OF TROPICAL FRUITS INCREASING IN TURKEY...

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On top of the avocados, kiwis and cape gooseberries they are already growing, Turkish farmers continue to lean toward new alternatives, producing different types of tropical fruit that can easily adapt to the Mediterranean region. Many products are planted in the region, with the most popular being bananas, avocados, passion fruit, pitayas, mangos and pepinos. Farmers, currently producing for the domestic market, are also working on infrastructure for exports. In terms of tropical fruit, sector representatives say production is carried out in an area of about 20,000 decares and predict that this will at least double in the next five years. The Tropical Fruit Production and Marketing Cooperative recently opened in southern Turkey's Antalya province. One of the primary objectives of the cooperative, which works on the adaptation of tropical and subtropical fruits in the region, is to obtain the geographical indication of tropical fruits. Tropical Fruit Production and Marketin...

ABOUT 100 000 TONS OF DRIED APRICOTS EXPORTED FROM MALATYA...

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Turkey is known as a top producer and exporter of apricots, both fresh and dried, and Malatya province in eastern Anatolia is dubbed the apricot capital, accounting for 90 percent of the country's apricot exports. It is one of the fruits Turkey is best known for in the world. Apricots are collected from about 8 million trees in Malatya. Meeting some 80 percent to 85 percent of the world's dried apricot production alone, Malatya exported apricots to 112 countries in the latest export season with 99,461 tons of dried apricots from Aug. 1, 2018 to July 31 this year. Turkish apricots earned a coveted EU geographical indication in July 2017, a registration that helps unique products be protected, marketed and advertised. It was the third Turkish product to get this EU designation after Gaziantep baklava, a rich, sweet pastry featured in many cuisines of the former Ottoman countries, and the Aegean fig. Apricot exports generated $251 million in revenue during the export season,...

LAVENDER FARMING, A NEW SOURCE OF INCOME AS PRODUCTION GROWS...

Lavender farming has been a good source of income in Turkey as production has seen steady growth over recent years. As its extracts are used in cosmetics, cleaning materials, health products and even in industry, its cultivation is currently carried out at 10,000 decares in Turkey as opposed to 8,700 decares in 2018. The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry's support for aromatherapy plants has also led to an increase of areas for lavender cultivation. According to a statement released by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, around 150 kilograms to 4,000 kilograms of lavender flower is produced per decare while oil yield constitutes 2 percent to 5 percent of the flower yield. Turkish farmers sell the fresh lavender at TL 1.5-2 per kilogram while the price for dried lavender varies by TL 10-15 per kilogram. The total production of the 10,000 decares is estimated to yield 500 tons of lavender and 20 to 30 tons of lavender oil. Native to the Old World and found at Cape Verde an...

EXPORT OF SULTANİ BRAND RAISINS EXCEEDS 500 MILLION DOLLARS...

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Growing in the plains of Manisa province and named after the Ottoman sultans, Sultani raisins' export figures exceeded 500 million dollars in 2018/19 export season... As one of Turkey's traditional export products, 246 thousand tons of seedless grapes were exported to 99 countries between the dates of September 1, 2018 - August 17, 2019 in return for 502 million dollars. Turkey, in the same period of the 2017/18 season, on the basis of the amount of 273 thousand tons of raisins exported and 443 million 127 thousand dollars had obtained as foreign exchange income. Exports of raisins decreased by 10 percent on quantity basis, but increased by 13 percent on value basis. Turkey is now experiencing the joy of exceeding 500 million dollars after six years. Because Turkey, at the end of the 2012-13 season, had exported 536 million dollars worth of raisins. Average export price rose to 2 thousand 35 dollars... Birol Celep, Chairman of the Board of Aegean Dried Fruits an...

ANNUAL VOLUME OF AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION IN DAMS REACHES 940 MILLION LIRAS...

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The annual volume of aquaculture production in dams and ponds at the disposal of the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) has reached around 940 million liras, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said yesterday. Pakdemirli said dams and lakes, due to their roles in agricultural irrigation is the guarantee of Turkey's food security. He added that they also pave the way for fishing activities. "The annual volume of aquaculture production in dams and ponds, at the DSİ's disposal has reached around 940 million liras." The minister said 110,000 tons of aquaculture products was produced in 2018 from dams and ponds. "Around 14,000 tons of various types of aquaculture were obtained in 179 dams, which opened for commercial fishing in 2018," he said. Turkey's dams and ponds have about 30 different fish species with economic value. A total of seven Aquaculture Stations belonging to DSİ are working to support these natural spec...

HAKKI BAHAR: CHERRY SALES TO CHINA AMOUNT TO 3.3 MILLION DOLLARS

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Overcoming hurdles and launching its first cherry exports to China last month, Turkey's cherry sales to the Far East country have totalled 3.3 million dollars and the Western Mediterranean region of the country accounted for 1.9 million dollars of the total cherry exports. Western Mediterranean Exporters' Association (BAİB) Chairman Hakkı Bahar said in a statement that the exports of Isparta, a province in the region, to China rose by 14.5 percent and hit 28,872 dollars. "The efforts of our association to remove the hurdles for cherry exports to China have led to a significant hike in Isparta's cherry sales to the Far East country. Last year, the exporters were obliged to keep their products at cold-storage units for days to qualify for sales to China, and this used to negatively impact the product quality, stemming the development of exports," Bahar said. The Turkish exporters told the government about Australia's practice of fumigation by way of wh...

TURKEY TOP PRODUCER OF HAZELNUTS, CHERRIES, FIGS AND APRICOTS...

One of the leading countries in Europe and the world in agricultural production, Turkey is the top producer and exporter of hazelnuts, cherries, figs and apricots, according to a statement released by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry. "Turkey is the world leader in the production and export of hazelnuts, cherries, figs and apricots," Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said in the statement. "We generated 2.17 billion dollars in total export revenue from these products alone." Pakdemirli said Turkey's national agricultural income rose from TL 37 billion to TL 213.4 billion in the last 16 years. "In this period, fruit production increased from 13.3 million tons to 22.3 million tons, vegetable production from 25.8 million tons to 30 million tons, and field crop production from 58 million tons to 64.4 million tons." "Our total crop production rose from 98 million tons to 117 million tons," the agriculture and forestry...

FİSKOBİRLİK OPENS NEW HAZELNUT PURCHASING SEASON...

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Hazelnut Agricultural Sales Cooperatives Union (FİSKOBİRLİK), as of today, opened the 2019 product hazelnut purchasing season. Lütfi Bayraktar, Chairman of the Board of Directors of FİSKOBİRLİK said that 50 teams were formed in all of the cooperatives and they started accepting products. Bayraktar stating that they apply a purchase policy through cash and escrow system, "Our farmers will receive the price of the product immediately and those who wish to leave it for later evaluation as depots to our warehouses" he added. Bayraktar also noted that they will be buying the nuts 25 kuruş more of the price per kg that forms in daily market and they aspire to buy all the nuts to be brought to them. "This union belongs to our producers. Therefore we want farmers to give the necessary support to FİSKOBİRLİK" Bayraktar concluded...

DISPOSABLE PLASTIC BAGS PROHIBITED IN NEW ZEALAND...

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Disposable plastic bags prohibited in New Zealand... Number of countries implementing similar prohibitions exceeded 80... In New Zealand, the regulation prohibiting the use of disposable plastic bags to a very large extent entered into force. As of July 1, 2019, the sale and use of disposable plastic bags by the markets and stores in the country has been banned to a large extent. For vegetables and meat products only, some products such as plastic bags with a thickness not exceeding 70 microns and garbage bags will apply exceptions. 100 thousand New Zealand dollars (375 thousand TL) will be applied to those who violate the ban. A survey conducted by the country administration prior to the entry into force of the regulation showed that 62 percent of business owners supported the ban. However, after the regulation announced last August, the majority of the country's main supermarket chains have voluntarily stopped their use. According to New Zealand Ministry of Environ...

APRICOT KERNELS ARE THE NEW INCOME OF PRODUCERS IN MALATYA...

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In Malatya, where most of the world's apricot production is realized, it is aimed to export 20 million dollars apricot kernel this year... In addition to apricots, farmers in Malatya provide economic returns through their kernels. 8 thousand 600 tons of apricot kernel export made last year from the city and 18 million dollars had been obtained 18 million dollars. This year the export of 10 thousand tons of apricot kernel export  and 20 million dollars is expected to increase revenue. Malatya Commodity Exchange President Ramazan Özcan said that in the first 6 months of the year 4 thousand 114 tons of apricot kernel was exported and 8 million 588 thousand dollars income was provided. Özcan also pointed out that apricot is one of the rare export products that provide foreign exchange input with both fruit and kernel. "There is a significant increase in apricot kernel prices compared to August 2018. Last year the price of kilograms of sulfuric rind kernel sold for 2 li...

NİHAT UYSALLI: WE SHOULD FOCUS ON THE IMAGE OF TURKISH PASTA SPECIFICALLY

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"We import expensive wheat and export pasta for cheap." Chairman of Pasta Producers and Industrialists Association (MÜSAD) Nihat Uysallı said that the export figures in the first six months of 2019 showed despite the increase in the amount of pasta exports, they could not achieve the same increase of income. Uysallı shared the information that Turkey takes the third place in the world as the amount of production and the second place in exports just after Italy, whereas the most important competitor in terms of exports Italy's average export unit price exceeds two folds. Uysallı also emphasized that they have the cheapest price among the countries exporting more than 20 tons in 2018 in the pasta exports which Turkey in the second place after Italy and said: "While Italy exports the tonne of pasta by 1,098 dollars, our average export figure per ton is only 455 dollars. Egypt, which is said to be our rival in the African market, exports pasta for a thousa...

IN NO CORNER OF THE PLANET A SINGLE CHILD GOES HUNGRY!

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Guadalupe Valdez, FAO's Zero Hunger Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean, said: "We have to consider this as a global fight so that in no corner of the planet a single child goes hungry." Waldez stated: "To achieve progress in the fight against hunger and achieve healthier diets, we must strengthen public-private partnerships, continue strengthening laws on school feeding programmes, give more support to family farming and regulate food labeling." "Frontal" fight against hunger and extreme poverty in Mexico... For his part, the Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Víctor Villalobos, described the measures that the Mexican government is carrying out to "fight hunger and extreme poverty head-on" and promote agricultural development. The plan, which he summarized in five major initiatives, includes programmes to encourage the production of basic crops such as corn, beans or pumpkin; support for coffee and...

FATMA ŞAHİN: GASTROANTEP WILL BE ORGANIZED BETWEEN 12-15 SEPTEMBER 2019

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Fatma Şahin, Mayor of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, in her statement, said that they will tell about not only Gaziantep's kebab, lahmacun and baklava but also development of a city in the International Gaziantep Gastronomy Festival (Gastroantep) which will be held for the second time this year. The 2nd International Gaziantep Gastronomy Festival introductory meeting, which will be organized on 12-15 September, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Municipality of Gaziantep and Gaziantep Development Foundation (GAGEV), was held in Istanbul. Şahin: We hosted the most powerful civilizations Speaking at the meeting, Mayor Fatma Şahin said: "I have brought greetings to all of you from our country's capital of flavour which hosted the most powerful civilizations with 5 ancient cities in history. In fact, an old story as much as the history of humanity came to Istanbul. Kebab, lahmacun and baklava we are not here to tell. This is an Anatolian development, a city of...

TARIK TEZEL: OUR MILK IS HEALTHY BUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE IS DIRTY

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Turkey Milk, Meat, Food Industrialists and Producers Association (SETBİR) Chairman Tarık Tezel said: "It is necessary to increase the number of animals in order to meet the animal protein needs of our population." Tarık Tezel explained that this investment would not only feed domectic population with sufficient animal protein, so the healthy generations that would need fewer hospitals and less nursing homes. Voicing that some people who slander of milk and dairy products produced by the industry at every opportunity, Tezel warned them, "Our milk is healthy but their knowledge is dirty." SETBİR Chairman Tarık Tezel emphasized that more than half of the milk produced in Turkey are either being unregistered processed or sold as street milk! Dairy industry enterprises approved by 7 different Ministries... Stating that public authority registered and supervised by 7 different Ministries, 2 thousand 258 enterprises operate in national dairy and dairy products ...

DERYA PALA: LET'S MEET AT THE 4TH EGG SUMMIT IN ANTALYA

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The latest developments and problems in the egg sector which ranks in the eighth place in world egg production with an annual production exceeding 22 billion units and in the third place with its exports reaching 431 million dollars, struggling with the export crisis to Iraq in the last days, will be discussed at the 4th Egg Summit. The summit, to be held in Antalya between 7-10 November 2019, will bring together all the stakeholders of the sector with the theme 'Protein for Life'. Stating on the 4. Egg Summit, Central Union of Egg Producers (YUM-BİR) Member and Press Spokesperson Derya Pala said that the Turkish egg industry attaches importance to improving the production infrastructure and the quality of more than ever. YUM-BİR Board Member Derya Pala said: "The egg sector wants to maintain its place in the world egg production. On the one hand Turkey's egg production, consumption and exports increased, on the other hand diverse problems, rising costs, the s...

İLKER TOLGA MENGİ: COMMERCIAL CRISIS CREATES NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN US MARKET

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"The commercial crisis has created opportunities in the US market" Istanbul Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association Board Member Ilker Tolga Mengi said: "The US is the world's largest apple juice concentrate market, 35-40 percent of the world-produced apple juice concentrate is consumed in this country." Stating that Turkey has been competing with many European countries, including China and Poland and also South America in terms of apple juice concentrate production, Mengi continued as follows: "The reason of the increase of Turkey's share in the US market last year based on trade wars. Levying a tax of 10 percent on Chinese products including fruit juice concentrate by US in the second half and to increase it to 25 percent in early 2019 has generated a big opportunity in US market for Turkish manufacturers. Thus Turkish fruit and vegetable juice concentrate producers who made good use of this opportunity, expanded their production and ...

WE KNOW UNEATEN FOOD BUT WHAT ABOUT THE UNHARVESTED CROPS?

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You might be familiar with the fact that in the U.S., an estimated 40 percent of food goes uneaten. That’s an alarming statistic on its own. This amount of wasted food correlates with waste in other areas: Around 21 percent of all water used in the U.S. and 18 percent of cropland is dedicated to food that will never get eaten, exercising a significant strain on already stressed resources. But most of the traditional research into food waste looks only at what goes uneaten at the distribution, retail, and consumer levels. These measurements capture how much inventory grocery stores toss, for instance, or how much consumers let go rotten in their fridge without eating. When a team of researchers at the University of Santa Clara set out to figure out how much produce is wasted before it even leaves the fields, they found a much more dire picture . According to the research team, around 33 percent of food that’s grown is either unharvested or left behind in the fields because the gr...

INDIAN SCIENTISTS; STOP BURNING THE FIELDS, STOP THE POLLUTION!

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Every year, a choking smog descends on northwest India as the region’s farmers burn their fields following the rice harvest - a phenomenon that has helped make New Delhi one of the world’s most polluted cities. Now, scientists have come up with a method that would allow farmers to sow their winter crop, usually wheat, without burning off the stubble left behind after the rice harvest. Researchers tested 10 alternatives to burning, finding the biggest profits could be achieved with a machine called the Happy Seeder. The new method would allow farmers to produce more food, boost profits by up to 20 percent, and cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 78 percent, according to a study published on Thursday. “Our analysis suggests that it is possible to reduce air pollution and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in a way that is profitable to farmers and scalable,” said the study, by a group of scientists from India and other countries. “Our analysis strongly suggests that India...

AHMET HACIİNCE: TEN PERCENT OF SACRIFICIALS IS WASTED

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National Red Meat Council (UKON) has made important warnings on account of the Feast of Sacrifice... National Red Meat Council (UKON) Chairman Ahmet Hacıince said that approximately 200 thousand tons of red meat production took place during the Feast of Sacrifice, while about 10 percent of sacrificial slaughter wasted due to incorrect storage conditions. Stating that the Feast of Sacrifice has a special importance in terms of red meat consumption, Hacıince noted: "During the Feast of Sacrifice, approximately one quarter of the red meat consumed during the year is realized. In 2019, 1 million 217 thousand bovine animals and 3 million 895 thousand ovine animals having sacrificial conditions were determined by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Last year, approximately 866 thousand 143 cattle and 2 million 682 thousand 612 sheep were slaughtered. This year the Ministry stated that the number of sacrificial animals was sufficient. However, measures to be taken against pos...