SAVAŞ AKCAN: TURKISH SEED SECTOR WILL BE IN TOP FIVE BY 2023

“Our Goal is to Be in Top Five of World’s Seed Sector with 1.5 Million Tons of Certificated Seed”

Turkey Seed Growers Association (TÜRKTOB) Chairman Savaş Akcan says, “Our goal is to be in top five in world’s seed sector with 1.5 million tons of certificated seed by 2023.” at “European and Balkan Countries Agricultural Journalists Forum” hosted by Growtech 19th International Greenhouse, Agricultural Technologies and Livestock Equipment Fair, in cooperation with International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) and Turkish Guild of Agricultural Journalists (TGAJ) that joined by 35 agricultural journalists from 22 countries.

Growtech 19th International Greenhouse, Agricultural Technologies and Livestock Equipment Fair to be held in Antalya on 27-30 November 2019 welcomed 35 agricultural journalists from 21 countries at the “European and Balkan Countries Agricultural Journalists Forum” organized in cooperation with International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) and Association of Agricultural Journalists and Writers (TAGYAD) in Antalya between November 4-8, 2019. As representatives of the international press followed the important panels about the sector in this special meeting, they heard about the future of agriculture and seed growing in Turkey from TÜRKTOB Chairman Savaş Akcan.

Agriculture needs to be handled as a subject of national security...

Underlining that future’s strategic elements will be food, water and energy, Chairman Akcan says, “Therefore, food and agriculture should not be handled only economically and socially but also as a subject of national security. Importance of agricultural production and commerce policies will continue to increase. It is very important to set agricultural policies with a common sense for them to be sustainable. We have to focus on producing more information and technologies and on R&D (research and development) more than ever. TÜRKTOB and sub-associations are working for seed growing sector to have a world-compatible and sustainable structure with its production and commerce.”

We are in the 11th place in the world’s seed market with 1.5 billion dollars...

Stating that Turkey’s seed export exceeded its import for the first time in 2018, Akcan continues, “Our export exceeded our import by 20 million dollars. Turnover of the seed market around the world is close to 60 billion dollars by the end of 2018. Turkey is in the 11th place in the world’s seed market with 1.5 billion dollars... When adding the rehabilitation activities and seed distribution system to the production processes, we have an added value of 10 billion dollars and a production value of 4 billion dollars.” and indicates that the Turkish seed sector is advancing very rapidly compared to many countries. Akcan continues, “Our goal is to produce 1.5 million tons of certificated seed by 2023 and to be in top five in the world’s seed sector.”

We are exporting seeds to 86 countries...

Emphasizing that they started a social responsibility project titled Following the Seed, Chairman Akcan states, “We have brought 171 local varieties to our national gen bank in a short time. 43 thousand professional seed growers are producing. Our certificated seed production reached about 1 million 60 thousand tons in 2018. Given the development in foreign trade of seed, 47 million dollars of export in 2006 increased to 152 million dollars by 2018.”

Adding that Turkey is exporting to 86 countries, TÜRKTOB Chairman Savaş Akcan states that according to the export figures of 2018, Russia, Ukraine and Iraq form about 35% of total export, and France, Italy and Holland are in top three with 35.2% of total import.

Endemic seeds are our sine qua non...

At the meeting joined by 35 international agricultural journalists from 21 countries including Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Japan, Canada, Finland, UK, Holland, Belgium, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Austria, France, and Pakistan, Chairman Akcan answered the questions of the agricultural journalists: “Neighbors should support each other in terms of seeds. We are rehabilitating especially the products endemic to our country. We are producing the seeds that we deem fruitful and are sought after in world markets among our rehabilitation varieties. Our sine qua non is our endemic seeds. We can create new varieties through their rehabilitation. We are pursuing novelties to satisfy market demands.”

Growtech is preparing to welcome over 90.000 international visitors...

The Growtech 19th International Greenhouse, Agricultural Technologies and Livestock Equipment Fair where innovative products and services of agricultural sector will be introduced is preparing to welcome over 850 exhibitor brands from more than 30 countries and over 90 thousand visitors from more than 130 countries at the venue of 50 thousand m2 at Antalya Expo Center, Turkey.

Engin Er, Exhibition Director of Growtech: “We hosted this significant event joined by agricultural journalists from all around the world in Antalya before Growtech.”

Underlining that Growtech is an export-oriented fair, and this year they are preparing to welcome more than 90 thousand visitors from over 130 countries and more than 850 exhibitor brands from over 30 countries, Engin Er, Exhibition Director of Growtech makes the following statement about the importance of this special meeting organized before the fair: “Like we do every year, we will bring the professionals of international agricultural sector together at Growtech International Agriculture Fair this year. Synergy created with bilateral negotiations thanks to Growtech fair is turning into long-term commercial connections. That is why the fact that international agricultural journalists came together on November 4-8 in Antalya has been an even more important development for an efficient fair. Because with the panels in this meeting and the visits to agricultural enterprises and greenhouses, we have had the chance to create public opinion in international press and to share preliminary information about our fair and events at the fair. This will both contribute to Growtech in the international arena and enable Growtech to achieve export goals of the sector and our country.”