Minister Yumaklı: The patent application for the first yogurt formulation has been submitted.

The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, stated, "Unfortunately, our producers are being manipulated by those who want to create different areas for themselves in Turkey. To put an entire sector under suspicion is, at the very least, negligence. As a minister and as a child of this country, I will not allow this in any way. I call on them to abandon this negligence. Because I do not know how this benefits them, but it does not benefit this country at all."

The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, attended the opening ceremony of the 'Global Farm Summit 2024-Farm Summit' held in Orhangazi district of Bursa to participate in a series of programs. Speaking at the event attended by Bursa Governor Erol Ayyıldız, AK Party Provincial Chairman Davut Gürkan, and sector representatives, Minister Yumaklı made a call for common sense, saying, "I hope that in the second century of Turkey, our Republic, in the Century of Turkey, we will reach the point we want by taking bigger steps and sharing more knowledge and experience together. We are now in the last month of 2024. When we evaluate the year 2024 from the perspective of our sector, we all know that the most talked-about topics are the meat and dairy sectors. The population growth of our country, the urbanization rate, and the records our country breaks in hosting tourists certainly encourage the growth of our food sector. Turkey uses the strong infrastructure it has created in plant and animal production to respond to all of these. Of course, the results we achieve today, the results of our agricultural production that make us proud, are obtained by combining this infrastructure with the hard work of our farmers and producers. At this point, we can clearly state that in 17 of the last 21 years, our agricultural production has shown growth. Looking at the upcoming period, considering all the developments in the world, both for today and for all future scenarios, I must state that this sector needs to grow much more, and this is not just a wish and hope, but a necessity."

"THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT AFFECTS ALL SECTORS"

Stating that they have taken all precautions as a ministry to protect the sector, but that the effects of developments in the world are felt in the agriculture and livestock sector as in every field, Minister Yumaklı said, "There is a concept called the butterfly effect. As you know, any development in the world, even if it has nothing to do with you, can affect you. We closely observe that, under today's conditions, the butterfly effect significantly affects all sectors. Issues like COVID, wars between countries, or the consequences of global climate change, drought, floods, and forest fires. The changes and turmoil we are currently closely monitoring in the Middle East can bring this butterfly effect to our country. Of course, the policies in our country are determined and shaped by taking such situations into account as priorities. We must create a sector that is resilient to risky environments and risky conjunctures, and we need to start from these simple examples, which are actually very important in terms of impact."

"SUPPORT FOR LIVESTOCK WILL BE 27.6 BILLION LIRA IN 2025"

Pointing out that Turkey meets risk factors with its strong infrastructure, Minister Yumaklı said, "I must say that livestock policies are based on a four-pillar structure: supports, rural development grants, R&D activities, and regulations. I want to mention that the support given to livestock in the last 22 years is approximately 328 billion lira. The amount of support to be given to livestock in 2025 will be 27.6 billion lira. Of course, we are talking about direct support. We will continue to use indirect supports and the accompanying elements that will strengthen them. We have also continued to provide low-interest loans to meet the financial needs of our breeders and producers, and we will continue to do so," he said.

"17 BILLION LIRA HAS BEEN PAID FOR LIVESTOCK INSURANCE SINCE 2006"

Minister Yumaklı also emphasized the increasing importance of agricultural insurance due to climate change caused by global warming, saying: "TARSİM is very important, the issue of insurance. Especially in this period where we see the effects of climate change in a very destructive way in every field, I want to emphasize the importance of insurance. One year of labor, six months of labor should not be left to any external influence or initiative; it must be secured with insurance. Therefore, the goal is to make the insurance issue, which is an integral part of our agricultural production, a part of our production with TARSİM. Since 2006, the amount we have paid for TARSİM Insurance for livestock alone is approximately 17 billion lira. Of course, we hope there will be no damage, and we hope that those resources will be used as they should. But when such a situation arises, we must not forget to secure it."

"WE WILL INCREASE THE YIELD PER ANIMAL FROM 3,158 LITERS TO 3 TIMES IN 5 YEARS"

Addressing rural development and grant supports, Minister Yumaklı said: "As you know, there are rural development supports, IPARD, and Expert Hands. These projects have reached approximately 95,000. Their numerical equivalent comes to 117 billion lira in grant support, and I want to present the size it has brought to our economy with its multiplier effect. The issue of feed crops, along with R&D supports, and the increase in yield with these supports are the needs of the sector. I want to state the result we have reached today: our goal is to increase the yield per animal, which is currently 3,158 liters, to three times within five years. The friends we trust in their experience and foresight within the sector say that this is definitely an achievable goal, which also encourages us. Likewise, the carcass yield of cattle was 178 kilograms 22 years ago. This is currently 287 kilograms for carcass meat yield. Our goal is to increase this to 380 kilograms."

"THE PATENT APPLICATION FOR THE FIRST YOGURT FORMULATION DEVELOPED BY TAGEM HAS BEEN MADE"

Speaking about the first yogurt formulation developed by TAGEM, Minister Yumaklı said, "In addition to increasing the productivity of animals, we are also signing new works in the food field. Especially, there are studies by our General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM). The introduction of the first yogurt formulation developed in our research institutes affiliated with TAGEM and for which a patent application has been made will be made today.

This is a product of 3 years of work. I want to say that our yogurt, a food of Anatolia, has been obtained from local and national yogurt cultures that have been collected and isolated from different regions of Anatolia, and this product is known by the same name all over the world. Once the patent process is completed, these formulations will be made available to our entrepreneurs for commercialization. Thus, our dependence on foreign yogurt cultures will completely come to an end," he said.

"WE ARE NUMBER 1 IN EUROPE IN LIVESTOCK"

Minister Yumaklı continued his speech as follows: "Currently, we are number 1 in Europe in both cattle and sheep populations. We are number 2 in milk production in Europe. We are also number 8 in the world. In the upcoming period, we certainly do not see being among the top 8 countries in the world as just a result. We will continue to work hard to increase efficient and quality production that will elevate us further. In the upcoming period, production planning has started according to supply and demand projections, as you all know. We will continue to implement our policies related to this. So, are what we are doing sufficient? Certainly not. We are planning not only for today but also for the next 25 and 50 years of our country. At this stage, seeing the current conditions as sufficient would lead us to a great delusion. Therefore, I am not just talking about catching up with the global conjuncture. We are trying to create a mental revolution that will surpass them. I want to express that the time has come for us to produce milk from dairy breeds and meat from meat breeds. Because resources are scarce, and we have a necessity to use them in a profitable manner. I want to reiterate from this podium that our top priority in animal production is to meet all our production needs with domestic resources. In 2023, as you know, there are changes in the Agricultural Law. Especially in plant production, animal production, and aquaculture, production planning has now been implemented in Turkey. This is a topic that has been discussed for 40 years, and fortunately, it has been our privilege to bring it to life. We have also included the production of forage crops in the production planning. By providing more support to farmers producing forage crops, we aim to close this gap. We aim to reduce the costs of livestock enterprises. And most importantly, this is the main axis of our production planning. Based on this, we have identified new livestock production regions. We have also established regions for dairy cattle, beef cattle, and poultry production.

"THE INCIDENCE OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE DECREASED BY 85% IN 2024"

Evaluating the current state of the fight against animal diseases, Minister Yumaklı said, "Let's remember once again how important it is to combat animal diseases in a period where we are facing various variations of diseases, especially due to climate change. In this regard, we are establishing 8 veterinary road control points in Turkey. Three of them in Erzurum, Elazığ, and Ankara are already in effect. Very soon, we will complete the remaining 5, starting from Kayseri. I want to mention that the vaccination periods have been reviewed and increased from 2 to 3, particularly regarding the foot-and-mouth vaccine. I must mention the difference between 2023 and 2024. The incidence of foot-and-mouth disease in 2023 decreased by 85% in 2024. We hope to apply this to other diseases as well," he said.

"ADDITIONAL 4 TIMES SUPPORT WILL BE GIVEN TO CALVES BORN IN REGISTERED ENTERPRISES"

Minister Yumaklı stated that efforts are ongoing to increase the number of breeding animals, saying, "A project has been initiated between the Meat and Milk Institution and TİGEM to encourage the establishment of beef enterprises that produce their own beef calves, and it is now in effect. We also aim to increase the number of beef breeding enterprises, which are relatively easier to manage and feed compared to dairy cattle. In the upcoming period, there will be no thought of 'Will this policy change next year?' No, it will not change. I want to guarantee that from here. For the first time, we have provided additional support to our young and female entrepreneurs, in addition to the existing supports, both in direct support and in accessing finance. Especially family businesses will receive additional support as well as basic support. Additional 4 times support will be given to female calves born in registered enterprises. If you are going to compete with a country that produces an average of 40-50 kilos of milk, you cannot do it with a production of 20 kilograms. Your costs will be high above all. Therefore, we are aware that we have this potential. We must all turn this awareness into production. What will happen is that we will meet our own needs and also open the doors for export opportunities to disadvantaged countries that do not have this capability," he said.

"8 FACILITIES WILL BE ABLE TO EXPORT POULTRY MEAT TO THE EU"

Regarding poultry meat exports, Minister Yumaklı stated that the negotiations with the European Union have yielded results, saying, "Especially since last year, we have had very intense discussions regarding poultry meat exports with the European Union. I would say that we really pressed hard in these discussions, to put it colloquially. Thank God, our intense efforts have paid off. In particular, 8 facilities from poultry meat processing plants have been approved by the European Union to export heat-treated poultry meat. Additionally, our domestic companies have started producing high-quality specific dairy products that were completely imported. I want to say that our efforts regarding the export of our products to other countries are continuing very intensively," he said.

"THEY DISREGARD WHAT HAS BEEN DONE JUST FOR THE SAKE OF OPPOSITION"

Minister Yumaklı responded to criticisms directed at producers, saying, "There are some issues recently. I have repeatedly expressed that I see these as a great injustice to our producers who have dedicated themselves to this work. Unfortunately, some issues are being manipulated by those who want to create space for themselves in different areas in Turkey, at the very least."

This country's producers give of themselves. They dedicate their lives to this. This is not something to be criticized, but rather something to be appreciated and for which gratitude should be expressed. It can only be reduced in percentage terms; you work to decrease it, that's another matter. However, to tarnish an entire sector by showcasing these issues is, at the very least, a form of negligence. Those who think they can reach somewhere by sitting idly and producing nothing, saying, 'They are just doing whatever they want. They are poisoning us. They have no idea about this work. We are finished, we are dead,' are doing injustice to the producers of this country. As a minister, and as a child of this country, I will not allow this in any way. I will continue to give them the response they need and deserve on your behalf. I also call on them from here to abandon these negligent attitudes. Because I do not know how this benefits them, but it certainly does not benefit this country. This is also very clear. To disregard everything our producers have done for our country just for the sake of opposition, to mention it as if it has no value, is not only sad but also brings to mind very different things. I cannot even call this criticism. I repeatedly advise those who aim to achieve very different goals to refrain from these activities or statements.