Türkiye Consultation Meeting (TÜİT)

“From the Soil to the Future: Production Summit in the Century of Türkiye” - Mersin

(10 February 2024)

Honourable Minister,

Esteemed members of our MÜSİAD,

Representatives of our business world,

Most esteemed members of the press,

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

I greet you all with respect, with affection and with reverence.

Welcome to our Türkiye Consultation Meeting, which we are holding under the hosting of our Mersin Branch and with the honour of the presence of our Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Mr. İbrahim Yumaklı, under the title “From the Soil to the Future: Production Summit in the Century of Türkiye”.

As I begin my remarks, I thank our MÜSİAD Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sector Board, our Sector Board Chairman and all our colleagues for their contributions to our Türkiye Consultation Meeting.

Dear friends,

MÜSİAD, which has worked and produced without pause for almost 34 years, has always undertaken productive and pioneering work. The MÜSİAD Family has an outlook that works harder every day than the day before, that produces more value and that provides added value for our country. This is precisely why MÜSİAD is the most productive and most industrious business organization in our country.

Approximately %10 of the members of MÜSİAD, which possesses a domestic and national vision, are engaged in food and agriculture. This being so, to speak of the soil and of the future of agriculture closely concerns the MÜSİAD community.

As MÜSİAD, we already voice at every opportunity the need in agriculture both for the best possible use of technology and for high value-added products. We see the future of our country and of the world in agriculture, and we say that “the power of agriculture is the guarantee of our future”.

Honourable Minister, Esteemed MÜSİAD Family,

Even though its share in GDP has tended to decline over the years, the share of the agricultural sector, which stood at the level of %5.8 as of the year 2022, remains above the global average. With this rate Türkiye, while approaching the middle- and high-income group, holds the position of having the 8th largest agricultural GDP on a world scale.

When we look in particular at the 3rd quarter data for the year 2023, we can see that the number of people employed in the agricultural sector was around 5.2 million. This figure shows that the share of the sector in total employment stood at the level of %16.1.

The volume of production also increased compared with the previous year. Accordingly, in the year 2023, production reached 77.7 million tonnes in cereals and other crop products; 31.8 million tonnes in vegetables; and 27.4 million tonnes in fruits and in beverage and spice crops. The production volumes of cereal products alone increased by %9.1 in 2023 compared with the previous year, reaching approximately 42.2 million tonnes.

The year 2023 was also a record year for agricultural exports. Türkiye's agricultural exports rose in 2023 by %2.8 compared with the previous year to USD 35.2 billion, reaching the highest level in history. This amount corresponds to approximately %16 of the total exports of our country.

While we are on the subject, it would also be fitting to touch here upon the notable success of Mersin in agricultural exports. Accordingly, the exports of cereals, pulses, oilseeds and their products of Mersin increased by %23.1 compared with the previous year, reaching USD 1.1 billion. Exports of fresh fruit and vegetables, which increased by %26.2, rose to USD 900.1 million. The fact that the exports of these two product groups account for %61.3 of the total exports of Mersin proves how important a position the agricultural sector holds for the economy of the province.

Esteemed Minister, Distinguished Guests,

We believe that in the days ahead, work in keeping with the motto “The Century of Production and of the Producer” will emerge, particularly in the field of agriculture. On this matter we too, as MÜSİAD, are showing every effort and endeavour within our power.

As you know, merely speaking of problems is not a method of producing policy. If we analyse problems within a cause-and-effect relationship and place them in their proper context, then we can achieve efficiency in production and produce added value for our country.

We must see the potential of our country well, produce rational strategies in agriculture and put the decisions we take into practice under the guidance of technology. Now, with your permission, I shall touch upon a few matters that are of importance for the agricultural production of our country:

  • Sustainability and Productivity

As you know, at the very top of the problems are the effects of climate change on agriculture. Last year was the hottest year in history; this year will be hotter still than last year. The problems that begin here affect, in a chain, all the areas relating to agriculture. Within this there is drought, and there is also the efficient use of water. The real issue, however, comes down to the concepts of productivity and sustainability. Under these conditions we are obliged to be in a state of mobilization in which we will sow every inch of our soil and know the value of every drop of water.

  • R&D

By closely following technological innovations and by entering into cooperation with our universities, particularly on R&D, we must make more frequent use of agricultural biotechnology, digitalization, automation, smart agriculture applications and robot technologies in agricultural production.

  • Education

Today the young generation in particular has need of more knowledge on the subject of agriculture. It is important both to inform the younger generations at every opportunity and to revive their interest in the sector. An increase in the support and the training given to young farmers in the agricultural sector will ensure this.

  • Added Value

The matter of added value is one of the key expressions we use in economic growth. As the added value of our products increases, both the gains throughout the process will increase and an immense contribution will be made to the national economy. Therefore, high value-added production also occupies a very important place in the food and agriculture sector.

  • Planning and Data Management

As we all know, agriculture also contains within it uncertainty and risk. For this reason it is very important to plan by assessing well the data at hand. In order to achieve a productive increase, all production processes must be carried out in a planned and programmed manner.

  • Incentives

The impact of the agricultural incentives, supports and policies implemented in the field of agriculture in our country is also extremely important. Foremost among these is the resolution of the difficulties faced by women, who undertake a very important role in the sector. Along with the encouragement of women producers, the protection of family enterprises and the provision to them of the necessary training and incentives is extremely essential.

Agriculture is also of great importance for rural development. The raising of the living standards of the region in which production takes place and the development of that region is extremely important. State support for natural fertilizers and the strengthening of agricultural finance are likewise of importance, particularly for the realization of agriculture-based industrial investments.

  • Agricultural Policies

We must make agriculture and food the most important, strategic sector of our country… To this end it would be fitting to name our proposals as headings:

-Agricultural technoparks and agricultural cities must be established, and unions and cooperatives must be supported

-Foreign dependency in agriculture must be brought to an end... Almost all of the inputs that trigger prices in agriculture are imported; a solution must be brought to this in order to prevent price fluctuations

-The policy of supporting agricultural technologies must be continuously updated

-An agricultural markets regulatory board must be established

-Measures must be taken now against scarcity in the medium and long term

-The division of agricultural land through inheritance must be prevented by legal means

-Sanctions must be applied against imitation and adulteration in food

-The establishment of multi-partner and strong structures must be encouraged

-Support must be provided for fertilizer, feed, medicine and diesel

-Food inflation must be prevented

-Contract farming must be encouraged and purchase guarantees must be given for certain principal products

Honourable Minister, Esteemed members of MÜSİAD, valued guests,

As we all know, agriculture also constitutes the beginning of the food chain. When we say sustainable agriculture, we are in fact speaking of a model in which many elements come together in harmony and in which this harmony is sustained in the most efficient way within a certain system.

While preserving productivity in agriculture on the one hand, we must on the other hand take steps to prevent our environment and our natural resources from being depleted and disappearing. Indeed, while sustaining these, we must at the same time produce an economic value…

The protection of progeny, of food, of the environment and of the family are our vital priorities. The focal point of these matters is agriculture. With sagacity and with prudence, but in a spirit of mobilization, we will sow every inch of our soil, we will protect every one of our trees, we will safeguard every drop of our water. We will preserve halal and healthy food. We will protect our generations and our family.

Esteemed MÜSİAD Family,

As I conclude my remarks, I wish that our Türkiye Consultation Meeting may be a means to good outcomes. I thank you very much for your participation and greet you all with respect and reverence.

May God protect you.

Mahmut Asmalı

President of MÜSİAD