Turkish Organic Sector Moves Toward Joint Cooperation

The Turkish organic sector, which has been producing healthy residue-free products using environment-friendly methods for approximately 30 years, has joined forces for three major projects. As the Turkish organic sector moves to establish a portal that will introduce its potential to the world, it has submitted applications for projects on the topics of the European Union Green Deal and Climate Change. Drawing attention to the fact that the effects of climate change have been felt more intensely worldwide in recent years, Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri Coordinator Vice Chairman Birol Celep stated that they aim to increase organic production, which is the production model most sensitive to the environment and people while reducing the effects of climate change. Emphasizing that the European Union (EU) Green Deal aims for a sustainable food system from farm to table, Celep said, "Carbon and water footprint, climate change, traceability and minimizing environmental damage have been adopted as principles. The European Union aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050. Furthermore, it is planned to reduce pesticide use by 50 percent, fertilizer use by 20 percent and antimicrobial sales by 50 percent by 2030. To reach these figures, the European Union aims to transition to organic farming on 25 percent of total cultivated areas. As components of the Turkish organic sector, we are joining forces to keep pace with and achieve these targets. An application has been submitted for the Sustainable Food Production and Climate Change Adaptation Project in Izmir, which will be implemented with EU Grant and EİB support, under the leadership of the Izmir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, in partnership with the Ecological Agriculture Organization Association and Ege University Faculty of Agriculture," he said. Sharing the project details, Celep continued: "We submitted a project proposal that addresses the impact of climate change on agriculture, specifically the effect of drought in climate change, sustainability in the value chain of selected products such as perennial and annual crops and water conservation in use, and also includes training and awareness-raising activities. Our second project application will be a project in the field of Sustainable Agricultural Practices under the "Farm to Table" project title within the scope of the European Union's Green Deal project calls. The preliminary application for the project, which will be implemented under the leadership of Bilgi Üniversitesi with our Association as a partner and with the participation of 29 institutions from 10 different countries, has been submitted. The project, with an EU budget of EUR 12 million, will have a duration of 5 years."

Turkish organic sector targets EUR 1 billion in turnover

Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri Organic Products Board Chairman Mehmet Ali Işık, providing information that Turkey's organic sector has reached more than 250 product varieties, noted that they aim to bring this diversity together with importers both in the domestic market and worldwide. Stating that the Turkish organic sector has reached a size of EUR 500 million, Işık said, "Healthy living and nutrition is a rising value globally. After the pandemic, there is an increase in the shift towards organic products. With the portal we will establish, we aim for greater demand for Turkish organic products and for the sector to reach EUR 1 billion in size. The portal will initially demonstrate the potential of the Turkish organic sector. Later, this portal could transform into an online marketplace," he said.