The “From the Soil to the Future Production Summit in the Century of Türkiye" was held by the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sector Board on Saturday 10 February at the Mersin Divan Hotel.
The “From the Soil to the Future Production Summit in the Century of Türkiye, held at the Mersin Divan Hotel on Saturday 10 February 2024, took place with the participation of Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye İbrahim Yumaklı, our President Mahmut Asmalı, Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan and MÜSİAD Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sector Board Chairman Cemal Özen. Speaking at the From the Soil to the Future Production Summit in the Century of Türkiye,Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye Yumaklı noted the following in the speech he delivered:
"We completed all the legal arrangements concerning planned agriculture in 2023. Since that time we have also carried out the underlying work. At present all our colleagues will complete their internal processes as of April and we will begin speaking and explaining in the field. We formulated our agricultural policies with a vision that will pass them on both to today and to the period ahead, that is, to future generations, and we completed all the legal arrangements concerning planned agriculture in 2023. Since that time we have also carried out the underlying work. At present all our colleagues will complete their internal processes as of April and we will begin speaking and explaining in the field."
Passing agricultural policies on to future generations
"The world population will be 10 billion in 2050. Türkiye's population in 2050 will be 105 million... If we also consider the guests who will come, it emerges that in 2050 we will need to meet the food and water needs of a population of at least 210 million. If we also consider that matters such as climate change, migration and a number of diseases whose names we have never heard before will constrain us along with population growth, we can see the risk factor here. We described all of these as the 'new normal', and our Ministry has begun to design all its work accordingly and continues to do so. "Underlining that more water and food will be needed with population growth, Minister Yumaklı said, "We formulated our agricultural policies with a vision that will pass them on both to today and to the period ahead, that is, to future generations, and we published our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan."
Rational strategies in agriculture
Our MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı also expressed that rational strategies must be produced in agriculture and that the decisions taken must be implemented under the guidance of technology. Using the phrase "The establishment of multi-partner and strong structures must be encouraged", Asmalı made the following assessment:
"While preserving productivity in agriculture on the one hand, we must on the other take steps to prevent our environment and our natural resources from being depleted and lost. Indeed, while sustaining these, we must at the same time produce economic value. The protection of progeny, food, the environment and the family is among our vital priorities. And the focal point of these matters is agriculture. With the spirit of unity we will sow every inch of our soil, we will protect every one of our trees, and we will together safeguard every drop of our water."
An “eternal” sector for the future of humanity
Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan also stated that agriculture is a sector as ancient as the history of humanity and as eternal as the future of humanity. Saying that exemplary work has been carried out in the city on achieving integration with industry in agriculture, Pehlivan said, "Although citrus fruits make up the bulk, we have a total production volume of 6 million tonnes. In exports we rose to 7th place this year. Agricultural products also constitute an important part of our export figures. We know that we must attach importance to agriculture, that protecting the soil means protecting our present and our future, and that the most effective way of protecting the soil is conscious agriculture."
As for MÜSİAD Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sector Board Chairman Cemal Özen;
Civil society organizations committed to local and national values such as MÜSİAD should carry out work to explain to young people the strategic importance and the commercial dimension of agriculture. I would like to share that as MÜSİAD we carry out such work and that we will do better and more. In this vein, we recently made visits with the agriculture class students of the high school we sponsor to the geothermal soilless greenhouses in Manisa Salihli. Saying that there has been a very positive change in the outlook of our agriculture class students towards agriculture and in their willingness to work in agriculture, he emphasized the strategic importance of agriculture.
When we look at the year 2050, considering that the world population will increase by %35 compared with today and that per capita consumption will rise in the period ahead, an increase of %70 in agricultural production throughout the world should be foreseen by the time we reach 2050 for healthy access to food. Touching on the fact that how an increase of %70 in agricultural production can be achieved in a period when matters such as the high level of input costs, water decreasing with each passing day and global warming work against it is one of the most important subjects that must be kept on the world agenda, MÜSİAD Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sector Board Chairman Cemal Özen concluded his speech by saying that as MÜSİAD they are always supporters of better and more of such work being done.
Following the speeches, Minister Yumaklı presented plaques to the sector representatives who contribute to exports. MÜSİAD President Asmalı also presented Yumaklı with a painting. The programme was also attended by AK Party Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK) Member Mustafa Sever, AK Party Mersin Deputies Ali Kıratlı and Havva Sibel Söylemez, Akdeniz Mayor Mustafa Gültak and the People's Alliance's Mersin Metropolitan Mayoral Candidate Serdar Soydan. After the meeting, Minister Yumaklı visited the Karaduvar Fishing Shelter. There Yumaklı met with the members of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Commission who were conducting an inspection, and exchanged information.
