New Project from Ülker

Ülker has introduced a new wheat variety called Aliağa Biscuit Wheat to the agricultural sector—Turkey's first domestic, nationally developed wheat type that is resilient to drought, disease and climate change while offering high yield and quality. The company has now launched a "Biscuit Wheat Development Program" together with Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute to develop new biscuit wheat varieties.

Mete Buyurgan, CEO of Ülker, noted that the company ranks among Turkey's major buyers of agricultural raw materials, and commented: "Sustainable procurement of agricultural products is among our priority areas, both for the continuity of our operations and for maintaining the quality of our products. We are developing projects and supporting research on sustainable agriculture and raw material supply.

Following the successful completion of the Aliağa Biscuit Wheat project, we are now launching the Biscuit Wheat Development Program with Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute again to develop new biscuit wheat varieties," he said. Buyurgan provided the following information about the program: "Through this program, by developing new biscuit wheat varieties, we will give our farmers the opportunity to choose among varieties that will deliver the highest yields according to their climate and soil conditions. In this way, we will ensure that biscuit wheat is cultivated across a wider geography and that biscuit wheat production remains continuous. We believe this program will contribute to the agricultural sector and the country's economy not only by providing domestic seeds suitable for different climates and land types, but also through increased yields and greater income for farmers." Noting that the first planting of Aliağa Biscuit Wheat, which took place in November 2019 across 700 decares of land in Konya and Ankara, was first harvested in July 2020, Buyurgan stated: "In this harvest, we achieved our target of producing approximately 300 tons of seed. We returned these seeds to the soil in Konya, Ankara, Kırıkkale, Yozgat and Kırşehir in November 2020. We are closely monitoring the development process.

In the coming period, we plan to increase production and planting areas through a contract farming system. This way, Aliağa Wheat will be ready for use not only by Ülker but also by other stakeholders in the biscuit industry. We aim to meet more than half of our biscuit wheat needs with Aliağa Wheat by 2023," he said.

Dr. Fatih Özdemir, Director of Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute, which is implementing the Biscuit Wheat Development Program together with Ülker, provided the following information: "We are pleased to begin work on new varieties following our introduction of a productive biscuit wheat type called Aliağa to these fertile lands, which are the wheat's native region. The effort and work invested during the long development process of Aliağa Biscuit Wheat has contributed to the emergence of our country's domestic and national biscuit wheat today. Thanks to the new 'Biscuit Wheat Development Program,' we will obtain domestic seeds that can be grown in different climates and land types. During the 2020-2021 planting season within the project scope, field results for approximately 2,000 candidate wheat varieties will be monitored, and those that stand out in performance will be identified for breeding work to be conducted on these varieties. Over a 5-year period, many technical works will be carried out, such as planting in irrigated and rainfed land and in different climates, to develop the most suitable wheat type. For the resulting wheat variety, just as with Aliağa, we will apply to the Seed Registration and Certification Department," he said.