26.11.2024 TOBB Commodity Exchanges Council Vice President and Aydın Commodity Exchange Chairman Fevzi Çondur Addressed Sector Issues at the TOBB Expanded Commodity Exchanges Council Meeting

TOBB Commodity Exchanges Council Vice President and Aydın Commodity Exchange Chairman Fevzi Çondur attended the Expanded Commodity Exchanges Council Meeting of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), chaired by Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu.

During the meeting, evaluations were made regarding the current state of the agriculture and livestock sectors, while challenges from the field and proposed solutions were discussed in detail. TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the strategic importance of the agriculture and livestock sectors and shared ongoing efforts to secure their future. Highlighting initiatives such as licensed warehousing and commodity exchange projects, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated, “With the support of our Ministry of Agriculture, we launched TÜRİB, the country’s first and only commodity exchange. Through this initiative, we have both facilitated access to financing for our producers and made raw material procurement more efficient for industrialists.” Additionally, Hisarcıklıoğlu drew attention to the significant increase in agricultural input costs and stressed the need for enhanced support mechanisms in these areas.

Mr. Hisarcıklıoğlu highlighted that significant steps have been taken to address the issue of "water", which is a priority on the global agenda, and emphasized the importance of addressing it at a high level in Turkey. He stated:

"In June, our Ministry opened the draft Water Efficiency Regulation for public consultation, which is an important initiative for the country. We had also conveyed feedback from our chambers and sector councils to the Ministry. Successfully achieving water efficiency targets requires substantial fixed capital investments for systems such as drip irrigation, treatment, and similar technologies. To financially support these investments, it is critically important that incentive and grant support programs are made available to the private sector through the Ministry. Another critical issue is to effectively communicate water efficiency practices and the available support/incentive mechanisms across the entire country."

Mr. Hisarcıklıoğlu further noted that, as part of a protocol to be signed with the Ministry, they plan to raise awareness of water efficiency throughout Turkey. He added:

"Through the protocol, we will organize various awareness-raising and informative activities in collaboration with our Ministry, chambers/commodity exchanges, and sector councils. We will comprehensively address the topic of water efficiency and the potential initiatives to be undertaken. We extend our gratitude to our Minister for bringing this important initiative to life.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, emphasized that the development and competitiveness of the sector depend on various factors and dynamics.

Mr. Yumaklı stated that sector representatives put significant effort into cultivating, harvesting, processing, and branding products across 81 provinces. He added that the Ministry has been providing maximum support to producers and mobilizing all available resources to advance the sector.

Highlighting that Turkish agriculture continues to grow thanks to the farmers’ hard work and dedication, Mr. Yumaklı said:
“We have approached the agricultural sector strategically. Over the past 22 years, we have provided 1 trillion 365 billion lira in support to agriculture. By increasing our annual crop production to 139 million tons, we broke the record in the history of our Republic.”

Pointing out that food supply security is a matter of national security for all countries, Yumaklı noted that nations are becoming more protective of their resources.

He underlined the importance of utilizing the country's resources in the most efficient way, saying:
“In this context, we have implemented planning in crop and livestock production as well as aquaculture. Initiatives such as bringing idle lands into production, registering agricultural lands, expanding contract farming, and starting agricultural censuses have been revolutionary practices in agriculture.”

Sectoral Solution Emphasis from TOBB Commodity Exchanges Council Vice President and Aydın Commodity Exchange Chairman Fevzi Çondur

TOBB Commodity Exchanges Council Vice President and Aydın Commodity Exchange Chairman Fevzi Çondur made statements regarding the comprehensive meeting held to address issues in the agriculture and livestock sectors and develop solution proposals.

Mr. Çondur stated: “During this meeting, chaired by the World Chambers Federation President and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, and attended by council members, we discussed the problems faced in our agriculture and livestock sectors. We put the core issues of our sector on the table and presented our solution proposals.”

Highlighting key challenges that directly impact the agricultural sector, Mr. Çondur brought up issues such as the value-added tax (VAT) problem in cotton trade and insufficient premium supports. He emphasized that they adopted a solution-oriented approach, providing concrete suggestions to contribute to the sector's sustainability.

Following the meeting, a “Water Efficiency Cooperation Protocol” was signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and TOBB. Expressing the significance of this protocol for the sector, Çondur said: “Water efficiency in agriculture is of critical importance for sustainable production. I hope this protocol will be beneficial for the future of our country's agriculture.”