TURKISH AGRI.NEWS

Turkey threw away 214 billion Turkish liras (37.7 billion dollars) worth of food on an annual basis, according to the head of an anti-waste advocacy group. "The amount of food wasted in Turkey stands at 26 million tons," Aziz Akgül, chairman of the Turkey Waste Reduction Foundation told Anadolu Agency. Akgül said 25-40 percent of food produced in the country was either lost or wasted every year. "According to data from Turkey's Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBITAK), the amount of wasted fruits and vegetables is 12 million tons, worth 25 billion liras (4.4 billion dollars)," Akgül noted. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one-third of all food produced globally is either lost or wasted, amounting to about 1.3 billion tons per year.

Ödemiş (A district of Izmir province) Chamber of Commerce Chairman Rıfat Eriş said that the country's most fertile soil needs to be reevaluated... Ödemiş Chamber of Commerce Chairman Rıfat Eriş pointed out that Küçük Menderes Plain is one of the most fertile lands of the world and that the necessary importance is not given to the plain. Emphasizing that considerable amount of agricultural products and livestock produced in the region, Eriş stated, "All works achieved in this region have not been told sufficiently. Agriculture and livestock are the main activities in Ödemiş, Beydağ and Kiraz districts which located in the east part Izmir province. They have a different style of life in those districts." Must be in compatible with the region... Indicating that this region's economic structure is separate from tourism, trade and Izmir port, Eriş also noted, "In terms of Ödemiş, especially the recently completed dams are very important. The water level of t...

Bees Declared To Be The Most Important Living Being On Earth... The bees have been declared the most important living beings on this planet, the Earthwatch Institute concluded in the last meeting of the Royal Geographical Society of London. However, according to wildlife experts and scientists, the bees have joined the endangered species long list. The recent studies show a dramatic decline of the bees' number as almost 90 percent of the bee population has disappeared in the last few years. The uncontrolled use of pesticides, deforestation or lack of flowers are the main reasons for their extinction. However, why would such a little being be named the most important creature on Earth? Well, the answer is actually more simple than you ever thought. Seventy percent of the world's agriculture depends exclusively on bees. Needless to mention the pollination is the bees' job, although the plants would not be able to reproduce, therefore the fauna would have been gone in a v...

“TGDF follows global developments closely” Federation of Food and Drink Industry Associations of Turkey (TGDF) Chairman Şemsi Kopuz said, in a statement, that agricultural production is faced with more difficult and harsh conditions in terms of climate change. “Especially sustainable food supply is the most important issue. Because the rapidly decreasing resources in the face of the increasing world population forces the entire chain from field to table." Kopuz also noted, "We have a very important issue ahead of us. Future generations should access to healthy food and potable clean water. For this reason, all rings of the chain should be tightly interlocked and cooperate without losing even a moment." Underlining that TGDF closely follows global developments, Kopuz emphasized, “The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are a guide for us. We are aware of our homework as a federation on behalf of the sector in relation to all targets, especially the son en...

Turkish fresh  fruit  and vegetable exporters want to again be  Russia ’s top supplier as the relations between the two countries normalizes. As part of their efforts to achieve this target, the fresh fruit and vegetable sector attended WorldFood Moscow 2019 organized Sept.23-27. A total of 33 Turkish companies attended the major food fair to present their products to Russian importers and consumers. Hayrettin Uçak, chairman of the Aegean Union of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, noted that the sector’s exports to Russia totaled 938 million dollars in 2014, before a crisis erupted between the two countries. As of 2018, the total exports to Russia are at 70 percent of the 2014 levels, and their aim is to meet the 2014 numbers, he added. The Russian Federation is  Turkey ’s most important exports market, Uçak said, adding that the top exports were tomato, tangerine, lemon, fresh grapes, pomegranates and peaches. “Thirty-three food companies from Turkey ...

Agriculture industry professionals from all over the world gather at Growtech 2019... The world’s biggest exhibition for the greenhouse industry, 19th Growtech International Greenhouse, Agricultural Technology and Livestock Equipment Fair will be held from 27-30 November 2019 at Antalya Expo Center, Turkey. The exhibition will be based upon 5 categories in total, as ‘Seed’, ‘Greenhouse and Irrigation Technologies’, ‘Plant Nutrition and Protection, ‘Tractors and Agricultural Machinery’ and ‘Livestock’. Underlining the main theme of ‘Global Engagement of Agriculture and Technology’, the exhibition will bring together more than 850 companies from 30+ countries with more than 90.000 industrial leaders from 130+ countries at the venue of 50.000 sqm. A global brand for the agriculture industry Growtech International Agricultural Fair hosted 86.780 visitors from 120+ countries and more than 800 companies and brands from 30+ countries in 2018. The top 5 visiting countries were Iran, Jordan, I...

SÜTAŞ continues to work for the Integrated Technical Livestock and Manufacturing Industry to be established in Bingöl, thanks to the purchase guarantee and the support of the state, the farmer's income by sowing corn increased fourfold. Upon the call of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the establishment of SÜTAŞ in the Çeltiksuyu village of Bingöl has started and the studies for Integrated Technical Livestock and Manufacturing Industry are continuing rapidly. Supported by the Project-Based Incentive System in Bingöl which is among 19 companies, SÜTAŞ  sets up a new plant at the cost of 733 million 709 thousand liras on which new farms to be established and farmers who tend to sow corn in order to meet the forage needs of these farms got lucrative profits. With the support of seeds and fertilizers offered by the state and SÜTAŞ's purchase guarantee, the producers who planted silage corn on 6 thousand decares in the region achieved a yield of 30 thousand tons. Farmers of...

ÇAYKUR Deputy General Director Yusuf Ziya Alim said that in Artvin, Rize, Trabzon and Giresun approximately 204 thousand families deal with tea farming and the end of campaign began on May 10 is approaching. Pointing out that ÇAYKUR has purchased 288 thousand 100 tons of fresh tea in the first shoot, 267 thousand 245 tons of tea in the second shoot, Yusuf Ziya Alim said, "Fresh tea purchasing campaign started on 28th of August still continues in the third shoot 400 kilograms per decare and we passed over 166 thousand tons." Alim, attracting attention to the highly efficient tea season, in terms of social responsibility of ÇAYKUR, they specified the quota 500 in the first shoot, 400 kilograms in the second and third shoot per decare. Stating that ÇAYKUR reached the highest tea purchase figure with 800 thousand 143 tons in 1999, Alim noted that they realized the second highest purchase in history with 732 thousand 500 tons in 2018 and that this year the purchases with t...

Gördes, Selendi, Köprübaşı, Demirci, Saruhanlı, Gölmarmara and Akhisar districts in Manisa province are covered with tobacco, while producers wanted to be paid 30 liras by drawing attention to the increase in input costs. In Manisa, the rise in tobacco prices increased interest in the production of tobacco. The price of tobacco reached 25 liras, while producers also made ready to sell the tobacco packaged after the process of having cracked. Tobacco production, which came to the point of exhaustion due to the quota introduced in the early 2000s, revived because of the increase in prices. Manisa's Gördes, Selendi, Köprübaşı, Demirci, Saruhanlı, Gölmarmara and Akhisar districts have been covered with tobacco. Tobacco seedlings grown in nylon greenhouses met with soil in April, producers broke their tobacco and dried. ORGANIC TOBACCO 28 LIRAS... The increase in tobacco prices boosted the producers' hopes. Gördes Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Mehmet Koç said that many far...

Katmer, which is one of the indispensable foods of breakfast culture in Sivas province, was registered by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Authority. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Sivas (STSO) applied to the Turkish Patent and Trademark Agency 2 years ago for registration of the unique peculiarities of Sivas region and obtaining geographical signs. After the examination 'Sivas katmeri' registration, geographical sign received. STSO President Mustafa Eken, during his press conference, announced the registration of katmer. Eken said, "We all know, katmer exists in many provinces across our country in the cuisine of different tastes and flavours. Such as Kayseri, Kilis and Antep. But Sivas katmer is different from these varieties and is unique to our region. As a matter of fact the geographical registration and trademark initiatives were initiated beforehand. And then out application was accepted and 'Sivas katmeri' was registered by Turkish Patent a...

While the competition between Denizli's Serinhisar district and Çorum regarding chickpeas and also between Gaziantep and Kahramanmaraş started about the patent of red pepper proceeds, Şanlıurfa has started to blame Gaziantep for sharing pistachios unfairly! Recently Gaziantep Metropolitan Mayor Fatma Şahin introduced the red pepper as the products of Nurdağı and Islahiye districts' products during the 2. International Gastronomy Festival that has highly disturbed natives of Kahramanmaraş province of which identifies itself with red pepper. Now that Şanlıurfa Mayor Zeynel Abidin Beyazgül has set forth that pistachios are grown the most in their province, while igniting a new crisis between Gaziantep. Beyazgül said, "The main homeland of pistachios is Şanlıurfa. Essentially pistachios come from the Tektek Mountains. They are really ripe and nice. The authentic Urfa pictachios are known as ketene pistachio which are riper. All around of Urfa is full of pistachio trees...

President of the International Dairy Federation (IDF) Judith Bryans said, "The reason we're here, to announce to the world the voice of the sector in Turkey. As the IDF world, what we are talking about here why Turkey is so important for shaping the future of milk." Bryans expressed his satisfaction with the summit held in Turkey. Pointing out to Turkey's rich history and culture she stated, "Today the reason for our presence here, to announce the voice of the sector in Turkey to the whole world. As the IDF world, we will speak what Turkey for shaping the future of milk is so important. On behalf of milk sector we are quite ambitious. On condition that if we can work hand in hand, we can overcome all obstacles in front of us. There are many reports that have recently criticized animal farming and said that the number of animals should be reduced due to climate change. We always fulfill our responsibilities on the subject, we continue to improve." Gl...

Holding a major part of the world hazelnut production and market, Turkey generated some 1.6 billion dollars from hazelnut exports during this export season. Germany was the top market for Turkish hazelnuts while a notable increase in sales in the Chinese market stood out as the year's most important development. Turkish exporters sold more than 269,399 tons of hazelnuts to 115 countries this season, from September 2018 to August this year, according to the Black Sea Hazelnut and Products Exporters' Union (KFMİB). Germany became the leading market for hazelnut exports for nine years straight, with 67,318 tons in exports and 370.6 million dollars in revenue. It was followed by Italy, with 55,655 tons of hazelnut worth 335 million dollars, and France with 19,344 tons valued at 115.9 dollars million. Turkey exported the least amount of hazelnuts to Angola last season. Exports to the country remained at only 18 kilograms generating 166 dollars. Angola was followed by Rwanda with 1...

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released some alarming numbers for the future of agriculture. Climate change may lead to a severe loss of production or even the abandonment of certain crops. Research suggests that the effects of climate change could force wheat, beet and maize production down by 50% by 2050 in southern Europe. But what are actions can be taken to prevent the future loss of crops? "Using less oil for example, new engines in machinery and more effective modern machinery but also it is important that we talk about breeding technology," Thomas Magnusson, president of Cogeca explained. Lower yields and higher production costs impact the quality of products and producers will have to adapt to the changing industry. Environmental NGOs are calling for a change in the EU's Common Agricultural Policy to help producers diversify crops. "Policies up until now have been driving farmers to become bigger and bigger, more industrialised. And therefore to ...

Turkey, the world's 8th and the Europe's 3rd largest milk producer, is hosting this year's World Dairy Summit held in Istanbul for the first time. The summit discussed the future of the milk where is a keynote speaker at the 2nd day of Ak Food Chief Executive Officer Ali Sözen said that the event is a great opportunity to show Turkey's production potential to the world. Organized by the International Dairy Federation (IDF) every year in different cities of the world, the World Milk Summit started this year with the hosting of Istanbul. More than 2,000 professionals, including producers, industrialists, research institutions, institute representatives, consumers and the public sector from 44 member countries of the International Dairy Federation, where 75 percent of the milk produced in the world is represented, are hosted in Istanbul on September 23-26. Ak Food, Turkey's largest dairy products manufacturer has undertaken the Platinum sponsorship of the summit....

Known as "strained fig" because of its size and honey ratio, dried figs grown in the Aegean province of Aydın are adorning royal tables in countries all around the world. Turkey ranks first in the world in dried fig production and trade, while Aydın is the province with the highest production. Called a "miracle fruit," figs contain 2,900 calories per kilogram. Thanks to its high calories, fig produces vitamins E and B and passes into the blood very quickly and as a result increases the body temperature in a short time. The fig, which is one of the symbols of the Aegean region, is also known for its aphrodisiac features. Approximately 40,000 tons out of 60,000 tons of dried figs grown on an area of 37,000 hectares in Aydın are exported to a number of countries in the world, Europe in particular. Dried figs collected during the first period of the harvest are among the indispensables of the royal table. Royal families in Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Morocc...

Press release... Muratbey's innovative cheeses are at the world's largest food fair Anuga! Muratbey pushes world markets... Anuga Food and Beverage Exhibition, which is considered as one of the largest and most important food fairs in the world, will take place between 05 - 09 October 2019 in Cologne, Germany. At the fair, which is the most important meeting point of the food sector worldwide, Muratbey will present its innovative cheeses which are unique in their field to the taste of the participants. Saying that they are the only company exporting cheese from Turkey to Europe, Muratbey Board Member Hamit Erol stated that they aim to open new markets in the world by introducing the latest innovations in vitamin D enriched series to the markets in which they are present at Anuga Fair. Muratbey, which differentiates itself with its innovative cheeses and makes Turkish cheeses love the world, will attend Anuga Food and Beverage Fair which is one of the most important ...

Fatma Güngör, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Sustainable Land Management and Climate Friendly Agriculture Project Coordinator, said that within the scope of the project Konya-Karaman basin, 37 thousand hectares agricultural area, 25 thousand hectares forest area and 17 thousand hectares of damaged pasture area was rehabilitated. During her visit to a biogas plant on a farm in Konya, Güngör made an assessment to the AA correspondent for FAO's Sustainable Land Management and Climate Friendly Agriculture Project. Reminding that Turkey should be within the countries need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere in terms of Global Environment Facility (GEF), Güngör said, "Emission consisting of animal gases and methane gas under the project is aimed at preventing oscillation. In Konya-Karaman basin 37 thousand hectares of agricultural area, 25 thousand hectares of forest and 17,000 hectares of damaged rangeland were rehabilitated." ...

Future CAP needs to support smart technologies uptake for all-size farms: Contractor vouchers have a role to play... CEETTAR and CEMA call on Member States to devise technology vouchers fostering precision farming in Europe Press release... Brussels 18 of September 2019 – A more sustainable, competitive and modern agriculture in Europe will certainly call for increasing the use of precision farming technologies. Reducing the application of inputs, improving knowledge on soil quality or facilitating day-to-day farm data management are some of the operations that can be improved by adopting smart technologies in agriculture. However, the challenges are immense. An ageing farm workforce in the agricultural sector together with a limited capacity to invest in new technologies slows down the equipment renewal’s pace. As a result, the use of precision farming tools remains low in Europe compared to other agricultural developed regions. To reverse the trend, CEETTAR the European Confe...

Having recently received approval for exports of several products to China, Turkey has now reached an agreement to export milk to the country, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli announced yesterday. Pakdemirli's remarks came on the sidelines of IDF World Dairy Summit, organized by the International Dairy Federation (IDF) in Istanbul. Pointing to the world's recognition of Turkish dairy products, he said, "The recognition of Turkish dairy products is increasing day by day in the foreign market. We are currently exporting to the Middle East and aim to expand it to the Far East market. In this context, we have reached an agreement on Veterinary Health Certificate in order to export milk to China." Indicating that 67 businesses have been registered in CIFER, China's food import system, Pakdemirli said, "Following the approval by the Chinese side, exports for low-risk dairy products will begin. I would also like to give the good news that we have ...

Press release... Quality milk comes with training... Pınar Süt Chairman of the Board İdil Yiğitbaşı evaluated the sector at the World Dairy Summit organized by the International Dairy Federation held in Istanbul for the first time this year. Stating that over 7 thousand producers have been trained in the last 5 years by the Pınar Institute, Idil Yiğitbaşı said, "We have been improving the quality of milk and undertaking a compass task for dairy sector in Turkey. We attach importance to the preferences of our consumers with our product range as the movement of healthy living is rising in whole world." The World Dairy Summit, organized by the International Dairy Federation every year in a different country, is being held in Istanbul this year. Speaking at the summit with the theme of 'Milk for Life', İdil Yiğitbaşı touched on the trainings and milk quality offered to producers and evaluated the sector. We undertake the task of a 'compass'... Sharin...

The apple which is grown in Posof district of Ardahan province attracts attention because of its redness both inside and outside, was registered as a geographical indicate by Turkish Patent and Trademark Authority. Around the city, in recent years, works which have been carried out in order to increase the production of this apple species for 2.5 years ago, registration studies started to give positive results. As a result of the work carried out by Posof Municipality and Ardahan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the fruit was registered as "Posof-Badele Apple". Ardahan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Çetin Demirci said that they felt happiness because of registration the third product after 'Ardahan Damal Doll' and 'Flower honey'. Stating that they want to register all products belonging to Ardahan, Demirci added, "Our registered apple will be an important gain gate for our region. We want to register our own products on behalf of our...

Press release... The world's most famous gastronomy fair "Terra Madre" is coming to Izmir... The “Terra Madre” gastronomy fair, which takes place every two years in Turin, Italy, under the leadership of the world's largest food movement Slow Food, is coming to İzmir in 2021. Terra Madre fair, in Turkey the "Slow Food" will be implemented in partnership with the group. Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Tunç Soyer and Turkey Slow Food, met with a delegation of union officials in the city of Bremen Slow Food Italy. Tunç Soyer along with delegation of Turkey met with Slow Food President Carlo Petrini, Slow Food Secretary General Paolo Di Croce Slow Food and the Balkans Coordinator Michele Rua. As a result of the negotiations, it was agreed that the Mediterranean and Anatolian leg of the Slow Food Terra Madre fair will be held in İzmir in 2021. It will change the fate of small producers in Turkey... Not only will be held in Izmir, Izmir Fair to Terra Madre, wi...

Press release... Hazelnut Agricultural Sales Cooperatives Association (FİSKOBİRLİK) Chairman Lütfi Bayraktar said that geographical indicate registration certificate was obtained for Giresun 'plump' brand in 2001. Bayraktar also said that as a result of the study jointly conducted a short while ago by Giresun Commodity Exchange, Giresun University and Hazelnut Research Institute, Giresun 'sivri' and 'kalınkara' varieties are also registered with the geographical sign. Bayraktar emphasized that this study assured that the hazelnut varieties specific to Giresun.  High demand from companies... Bayraktar stated that they faced intense demands from the companies for marketing authorization certificate and that so far, 20 companies including cooperatives affiliated to the Union were given a certificate and 10 applications were examined. FİSKOBİRLİK started to produce products with geographical indicate logo... Pointing out that as a union of p...

Chickpea harvest started in the last weeks of August in Artova district, one of the leading regions of Tokat province. The chickpea production, which was around 900 tons annually in the district 5 years ago, reached 1800 tons. Artova chickpeas, which are easily cooked and characterized by their flavour, have become a new source of income for the farmer who usually produces wheat and barley. Artova Agriculture and Forestry Director Ibrahim Türk said that 1400 registered farmers in the district of 146 thousand decares of agriculture. Stating that approximately 700 of the farmers are producing chickpeas, "After the passage of our Ministry's basin-based production, chickpea production holds an important place. On average, 200 kilograms of products are taken," he noted. Sharing the information that an average 1800 tons of production was carried out per year, Türk also said, "9 thousand hectares of chickpea production is made in the district." Pointing out...

If rivers get dried, there would be destructive consequences for human being and environment, as they support biodiversity and ecosystem, according to an official from a river organization. "Rivers support biodiversity and ecosystems, provide water for drinking and agriculture, and lastly have played an integral role in the shaping of human history, culture and society," Carla Littlejohn, general manager of the International River Foundation (IRF), told Anadolu Agency. Speaking on the occasion of the World Rivers Day, which is annually celebrated on the fourth Sunday of September, Littlejohn said that water is vital for life and people need healthy rivers as well as lakes and wetlands for a sustainable world. "Rivers drying would have devastating effects for people and the environment, including reduced access to drinking water, absence of water for agriculture, loss of river transportation corridors, loss of aquatic habitat for fish and other organisms among other...

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for Turks, and a weekend breakfast out is almost an exclusive event for many. You either opt for a few fixed dishes, all-you-can eat buffet or "serpme," a mix of specialties of a traditional Turkish breakfast. Serpme, which literally means "spreading," involves a wide variety of dishes spread on the table - often more than you can eat. It also causes more food waste, experts warn. Aziz Akgül, who heads the Turkish Foundation for Waste Reduction (TİSVA), says this breakfast "model" causes food waste totalling TL 100 billion every year - a significant figure that is enough to ring alarm bells when combined with wasting bread, another unfortunately popular type of waste in bread-loving Turkey. Akgül says serpme breakfasts evolved from a popular pastime into a culture of waste. Figures by TİSVA show Turkey wastes food worth TL 214 billion a year, or 12 million tons. Akgül says although Turkey is in the 65th spo...

Chinese liked Turkish dried fruits... 183 percent increase in dry fruit exports to China... Turkey, the world leader of seedless grapes both in production and exports, reap the benefits the promotional activities carried out in Chinese market in terms of  dried fruit exports to to this country. In January - August 2019 period 183 percent increase attained and amount of exports rose from 3.5 million dollars to 10 million dollars. The Aegean Dried Fruit and Products Exporters' Association participated in Food2China 2019 Fair held in Guangzhou, China on September 19-21, 2019 and added a new ring to its promotion activities to strengthen the position of Turkish dried fruits in the Chinese market. Stating that the direction of capital in the world is turning east, the purchasing power of the people in China increases every year and therefore taking position in the Chinese market has become more priority than ever, Birol Celep, Chairman of Aegean Dried Fruit and Products Export...

Press release... Positive first six months for tractor registrations in 2019... Demand for tractors remains stable, but industry barometer tempers expectations for the second half of the year... Brussels, 16 September 2019 - Overall, some 96,428 tractors were registered across Europe in the first six months of 2019, according to numbers sourced from national authorities. Of these registrations, 21,285 tractors were 37kW (50 hp) and under and 75,143 were 38kW and above. CEMA (European Agricultural Machinery Association) considers that 77,383 of these vehicles are agricultural tractors, the rest being quads, telehandlers or other equipment. An overview of the total tractor registrations in each country can be found in the annex. Agricultural tractor registrations for the first semester increased by around 10% in comparison with the first six months of 2018. One should however remember that registrations in 2018 were impacted by new legislation coming into force on 1 January 2...

2019 OCTOBER 06 – 08 October: “International Association of Operative Millers, IAOM Annual Southeast Asia Region Conference & Expo”. Jakarta, Indonesia. Contact: International Association of Operative Millers, IAOM. 12351 W. 96th Terrace, Suite 100 Lenexa, Kansas 66215, USA. Tel: +1 (913) 338 3377, Fax: +1 (913) 338 3553, Email: info@iaom.info, Web: www.iaom.info 09 - 11 October: “Grain & Milling Expo”. La Foire Internationale de Casablanca. Casablanca. Morocco. Contact: Mrs. Soumaya Esseddiki, Communication Responsible. National Federation of Moroccan Millers. Angle Bd Abou Majid Al Bahar et Rue El Brihmi El Idrissi. Casablanca, Morocco Tel: + 212 522 30 18 01, Fax: + 212 522 30 6551, Email: s.esseddiki@fnm.org.ma, fnm@fnm.org.ma, Web: www.fnm.org.ma, www.grainmillingexpo.ma 16 – 17 October: “70th JTIC International, The Milling & Cereal Industry Meeting. Annual French Conference for the Cereal Industries (JTIC)”. Lille Grand Palais. Lille, Fr...

The Brazilian organization Favela Orgânica has delivered nearly 110 million meals to people in need while keeping over 37,000 tons of food from reaching landfills over the last 8 years. “Favela Orgânica’s changes the relationship between people and food, making consumers aware of each stage of the food cycle, from purchase through preparation and disposal of food,” says Regina Tchelly, founder of Favela Orgânica. According to the World Resources Institute (WRI) , Brazil annually sends 41 thousand tons of food to landfills, placing the country among the ten most food-wasting countries. At the same time, a report from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows that food insecurity has increased in the country , from 4.9 million food insecure people in 2010 to 5.2 million in 2017. Favela Orgânica promotes a change in the culture of consumption and waste by hosting lectures, catering events with recovered and healthy foods, and training kitchen and cafeteria staff to value...

Activating Turkey's Geographical Indication Potential: “Rebirth” The promotion and protection of products under Geographical Indications today do not only contribute to achieving high economic gains, promoting quality production and fair distribution of profits. Geographical indications mean cultural and commercial “rebirth” for rural communities, which have the opportunity to render local products a brand. Competition in the global market is getting stronger. Developing countries need to develop “quality brands” in order to achieve higher returns from sales in view of the limited product and export diversity of today's raw and low value added products. The natural quality of food, agricultural or handicraft products from these countries' environmental assets make great promises for developing countries to achieve “sustainable development goals” through local communities and benefit from growing international trade. Geographical Indications provide an unprecedented opport...

Press release... Aydın Commodity Exchange Participated in 2. Geographical Indications Summit... Under the organization of Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), 2. Geographical Indications Summit started with the participation of President Tayyip Erdoğan, Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank. The summit will continue until September 21 with various activities. The summit was also attended by the Chairman of the Aydın Commodity Exchange, A.Bahri Erdel, Vice Chairman Cengiz Ülgen, and Project Officer Seren Selvi. Geographically Marked Product of Chestnut, Chestnut Candy and Chestnut Flour manufactured from Aydın Chestnut, Aydın Olive Oil, Aydın Memecik Olive, Yamalak Kabası (Yellow) and Aydın Pine Nut (Künar) and Aydın Figs are introduced to participants by Aydın Commodity Exchange. Aydın Commodity Exchange Assembly Speaker A.Bahri Erdel said in a statement, "Our products are thouse that need to be meticulously protected by geographical marking in order to suppo...

Trade War Tied to Fires in Brazil... An escalating global trade war is inarguably bad news for American farmers and ranchers, who have already collectively lost billions of dollars. Long-term damage to important trading relationships will likely cost billions more. But there's another victim of the trade war: the environment. Without the United States as a reliable trading partner, China has been forced to seek other markets for the commodities it has historically purchased from American farmers. And other countries have responded to this new opportunity. In order to meet China's thirst for soybeans, Brazilian farmers have converted large swaths of the savanna and forested land, likely contributing to the thousands of wildfires currently burning in the Amazon rainforest.  Completely changing a biome does not come without consequences. Eliminating native vegetation in the Amazon has shrunk the habitat for ten percent of all wildlife species and put thousands at risk of e...

India is set to impose a nationwide ban on some single-use plastic items on Oct. 2, with the goal of eliminating all such items by 2022.  India generates about 26,000 metric tons of plastic waste daily, much of which ends up as litter. As part of implementing the ban, the national railway system and Air India plan to move away from single-use plastic items, with the airline switching to birchwood cutlery, paper cups, and paper packaging for chips.  The government is also asking private industry to slash its use of single-use plastics, and some ­companies are already falling in line: ­Amazon India says it will replace bubble wrap and plastic air pillows with paper padding by June 2020, and Bangalore-based Flipkart, which is owned by Walmart, plans to eliminate single-use plastic in packaging by March 2021.  Not everyone is pleased by the efforts to reduce single-use plastics, however. The ban will result in the closure of nearly 10,000 small and midsize ­compa...