Growtech Antalya Agriculture Fair, which was held for the 23rd time this year, opened its doors to its visitors. The fair, which brought together local and foreign sector professionals at ANFAŞ Congress and Fair Center, included products related to fresh vegetables and fruits, seeds, saplings, pesticides, tools and equipment.
Growtech Fair Director Engin Er, who answered the WORLD’s questions at the fair where 684 companies that shape world agriculture met, said, “We have risen to seventh place in the world in terms of greenhouse area. We are second in Europe after Spain. There are reasons why we are behind the EU in terms of productivity. Turkey’s problem is that it has small and unrenovated greenhouses. “New technological greenhouses are made resistant to earthquakes, floods and storms and are highly efficient,” he said.
Visitors from 160 countries
Giving information about the fair, Engin Er said, “684 companies from 31 countries participated in the fair. There were companies that could not come due to lack of space. India took part for the first time and there are 22 companies. There are 97 companies from China. In addition, there is intense participation from Spain, Netherlands, Korea and Germany. “Visitors came from 160 countries,” he said. Stating that innovations were exhibited in the fields of greenhouse and agricultural technologies, smart agricultural solutions, saplings, plant protection techniques, medicines and irrigation systems, Er pointed out that companies made new business connections at the fair and producers were informed about the innovations.
“We approached 500 million dollars in seed exports”
Answering the WORLD’s questions at the fair, Hacı Ömer Güler, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Seed Growers Association, said, “We are going through a period in which we continue to increase our competitiveness in global markets by reducing our external dependence by encouraging seed producers and accelerating agricultural R&D studies.” Noting that an export of 472 million dollars was achieved by achieving a 47 percent foreign trade surplus as of 2023, Güler said, “Türkiye produces 1 million 300 thousand tons of certified seeds. We provide 97 percent of our needs from our own resources. We export seeds to 120 countries. “The proficiency rate in vegetable-fruit saplings and ornamental plant production has reached 100 percent,” he said.
Food nationalism…
Pointing out that global warming, epidemics and socio-economic changes in the world have brought the concept of ‘food nationalism’ and therefore the seed sector to the fore, Güler said, “Turkey continues to increase its role in this context, encouraging local seed production, especially for strategic agricultural products, day by day.” “It does,” he said.
‘Foreign demand’ for domestic seeds will increase geometrically
Güler, who also gave information about studies on domestic seeds and foreign interest in domestic seeds, said, “Turkey achieves significant export successes, especially in vegetable seeds such as sunflower, corn, cotton, wheat and tomato. There is a high demand from abroad for hybrid seeds, especially of vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, and it will increase exponentially. Thanks to the promotion of domestic production and the development of quality seeds, we expect export figures to increase further by 2024. “We also predict that exports of grain and legume seeds will increase,” he said.
“We have a competitive advantage”
Güler said, “The production of productive and durable seeds suitable for Turkey’s climate and soil conditions provides a competitive advantage in the global market. Developing new varieties through R&D studies will further increase our export potential. “Türkiye is on its way to becoming an important player in this field,” he said. The fair will remain open until November 23.
İkizler Kalıp-Sera Sales Manager Hasan Ergüç: We started exporting to the USA
Stating that Turkey is behind countries such as the Netherlands and Italy in terms of technology, but we are accelerating in development, İkizler Kalıp-Sera Sales Manager Hasan Ergüç said, “I believe we will reach those standards in a short time.” Ergüç stated that we produce products above EU standards in some products and said: “We have products that exceed EU standards in greenhouse fittings developed by Turkish engineers in our own factory. We can produce remote controlled engines entirely with domestic technology. We compete with Italians in the mold field and export at almost half the price of EU manufacturers. Our exports are increasing. We even started sending products to the USA. “Turkey’s future is very open.”
Simkar Plastik Sales Manager Bekir Kurtar: We cannot grow products
Simkar Plastik Sales Manager Bekir Kurtar stated that exports increased and they could not grow products to meet the demand and said: “We have come a long way in greenhouse cultivation in a short time. But greenhouse cultivation in Antalya is still 5-10 years behind Israel and the Netherlands. Eastern provinces are 5-10 years behind Antalya. The development in domestic greenhouse cultivation in the last 10 years shows that we will quickly close the gap with other countries. We can accelerate this further with training and planning. In our factory in Diyarbakır, Turkish engineers develop water efficiency and saving products. We started to increase exports, especially to Iraq. We cannot even produce products for export. We sell the product, which we import for 4 dollars, for 1 dollar with domestic production. “We support our farmers this way.”
Source: www.dunya.com
