The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry initiated a project to record and preserve Turkey's traditional cheeses. It is estimated that around 200-300 original cheeses will be recorded in the first stage. Cheeses will be determined with a scientific method and their preparation and characteristics will be recorded. The Turkish Traditional Cheeses Portal will be created with the data obtained as a result of the project.
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Prof. Dr. Vahit Kirişci stated that they aim to increase the commercial value of cheese and contribute to the branding processes of these products and said, “We produce the best quality cheeses in the world. We have quite a variety of local cheeses. We record them with the work we do and ensure that they are passed on to future generations.”
There were discussions about the registration and promotion of Turkey's unique cheeses, both in terms of their properties and production, and similarly finding a high value in international trade with their own identity. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry initiated a project in this direction. It is estimated that around 200-300 types of cheese will be reached in the first stage. With the project to be completed in 2023, traditional cheeses will be determined using a scientific method.
The project will be carried out by the Food and Feed Control Center Research Institute under the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policy (TAGEM). The project, called “The Project for the Establishment of the Turkish Traditional Cheese Inventory”, will be carried out with the participation of 13 institutes and authorized research laboratories, and academicians who are competent in cheese from 8 different universities.
As a result of the project, traditional cheeses will be determined scientifically, their production and characteristics will be recorded, the literature on nutritional values will be compiled and all data will be recorded. According to the provinces, information on construction techniques and final product characteristics (color, maturity status, etc.) will be created. As a result of the project, cheeses will be introduced on the 'Turkish Traditional Cheeses Portal', which can be accessed online. The data to be obtained will also be published as a book.
According to FAO data, Turkey is the ninth largest milk producing country in the world and the third largest in Europe. According to TUIK 2020 data, more than half of the total animal production of 108,6 billion TL in Turkey, 55,3 billion TL of which consists of milk production. Cheese production in Turkey was 2020 thousand tons in 767 and 2021 thousand tons in 763. Turkey ranks 4th in the world in cheese production.
CHEESE WITH GEOGRAPHICAL SIGN
Recently, geographical indications have been obtained for various agricultural products in Turkey in order to both increase their sales value and preserve their characteristics. In this context, Antakya Carra cheese, Antakya moldy mulberry cheese, Antep cheese / Gaziantep cheese / Antep squeezed cheese, Diyarbakir knitted cheese, Edirne white cheese, Erzincan tulum cheese, Erzurum civil cheese, Erzurum moldy civil cheese (Göğermiş cheese), Ezine cheese Cheeses such as these received geographical indications.
MILK FAT INCREASE PROJECT
It was stated that the fat ratio of the milk produced in Turkey is 3,5 percent on average, and the protein ratio is 3,2 percent. It has been noted that if the oil rate increases by 0,1 percent to 3,6, it means the production of 23 thousand tons of milk fat per year, which means 26-27 thousand tons of additional butter. The project, which was initiated for this purpose, was expanded to the whole country in May 2021, following the pilot implementation in Aksaray, Burdur and Çanakkale provinces.
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