Turkey's largest agricultural organization, Agroexpo-18, hosted by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. International Agriculture and Livestock Fair has started. President Soyer, who stated that they started out with the word “Kurda, Kuşa, Aşa” and implemented many agricultural projects while shaping the agriculture vision of İzmir, said, “I hope these efforts in İzmir will spread all over Turkey under the guidance of common mind and increase the competitive power of our agricultural sector. " said.
Organized by Orion Fairs, the Agroexpo -18. International Agriculture and Livestock Fair has started. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç SoyerHe said that the rapidly growing drought, the food crisis that engulfed millions, the policies imposed by agriculture and seed monopolies are the biggest threat to humanity. Minister Tunç Soyer, “We have come to the end of the system that mortgages even the last penny in our farmers' pockets with the promise of increased productivity. Because agriculture is not just a technical issue, it is life itself. Our generation produces its own solutions against standardized agriculture. The peoples of the world and local governments are putting forth brand new methods against the agricultural monopolies fed by the spiral of rural and urban poverty. Turkey's agricultural sector should not turn a blind eye to this rapid transformation. On the contrary, it must adapt to increase its economic volume and build its competition with the world from this point. Healthy, tasty, diverse and nature-friendly food is a basic human right. We must see very well that millions of people, mothers, fathers and young people around the world have taken action to regain this right.”
“Our first word was 'Wolf, Bird, Asha'”
Explaining how they produced solutions to problems with the policy of "Another Agriculture is Possible", the President Tunç Soyer, “While creating İzmir's agricultural vision, our first word was 'wolf, bird, tree'. Because this word is a declaration of intent made by our farmers while sprinkling seeds on the soil for centuries in the agricultural tradition of Anatolia. It's a very clear principle. This phrase, which describes Anatolia's fertility mathematics, tells us in its simplest form how we can fight our destructive ambition: to take one for ourselves and give two to life. In the light of this promise, we said 'Another Agriculture is Possible'. Why do we call it another agriculture? Because while these lands were one of the few countries that were self-sufficient in terms of food production, our villagers, whom Atatürk called 'the master of the nation', became unable to produce at this point. Cities turned into places where the farmer left his land and became cheap labor. Villages were closed and the family farming that created our agricultural culture was sacrificed to big corporations. In these lands, where sheep, goats and cattle were first domesticated, we have become a country that brings live animals from abroad. Unfortunately, we are now importing even wheat, whose homeland is Anatolia. Due to the water wasted in agriculture, groundwater began to recede and our ancestral seeds began to disappear. We in İzmir are making efforts to change this dire picture in our country.”
“We have identified five strategic products”
Stating that there is a stronger relationship between ecology and economy than the similarity of sound, President Soyer said, “It is not possible to achieve a permanent development in the economy without protecting the ecosystem. The crisis created by the climate crisis and the pandemic in the global economy is the most important proof of this. We have formed our agricultural policy based on this fact. We have built a set of policies to combat poverty and drought at the same time. We have identified five strategic product classes in İzmir with high economic value, low water consumption and high export potential. The first pillar of this agricultural mosaic, consisting entirely of local seeds and breeds, is pasture livestock, the second is cereals and legumes, the third is olive and olive oil, the fourth is drought-resistant fruits such as grapes, figs and almonds, and the fifth is coastal fishing. We provide a purchase and sale guarantee for these products, which are produced in large quantities by the small producers of Izmir and have high economic value. We are building an agricultural policy based on our own resources. We ensure rural development by making it possible for our villagers to be fed where they were born. We protect our water resources and nature by using the right product at the right place and at the right time. We contribute to the growth of the food industry and employment in İzmir by producing value-added products. Perhaps most importantly, we provide safe, uninterrupted and affordable food to millions of our citizens in our cities against the high cost and mass poverty in our country. I hope these efforts in İzmir will spread to the whole of Turkey and will increase the competitiveness of our agriculture sector”.
“We want to increase cooperation with Turkish companies”
Rwamirama Bright, Uganda Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, stated that they attach importance to agriculture and that they want to increase their cooperation with Turkish companies within the scope of the fair.
“It gives strength to our development move”
Mahmut Özgener, Chairman of the Izmir Chamber of Commerce, said, “Agroexpo is a fair that gains momentum every year and strengthens our agricultural development move.” Aegean Exporters' Unions Coordinator President Jak Eskinazi said, “As the Aegean Region, the world's agricultural warehouse, we maintained our leadership in 2022. I think we will protect it in 2023," he said.
“I find the practices of Büyükşehir very important”
Aegean Region Chamber of Industry Deputy Chairman of the Board Hakan Product said, “I find the agricultural practices of the Metropolitan Municipality very important”. Fatih Tan, Chairman of the Board of Orion Fairs, Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerHe thanked for his support.
Who participated?
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor attended the opening of Turkey's largest agricultural organization held at the Fair Izmir. Tunç Soyer, Köy-Koop İzmir Union President Neptün Soyer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs İzmir Representative and Ambassador Naciye Gökçen Kaya, Uganda Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Rwamirama Bright, Head of Education and Publication Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Bülent Kahraman Çolakoğlu, İzmir Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Chairman Mahmut Özgener, Aegean Exporters' Unions Coordinator Chairman Jak Eskinazi, Aegean Region Chamber of Industry Vice Chairman Hakan Product, İzmir Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Manager Mustafa Özen, Orion Fairs Chairman of the Board Fatih Tan, district mayors, political party representatives, industry professionals , cooperative and union partners, heads and representatives of non-governmental organizations, and citizens.
Agroexpo is organized for the 18th time
Agroexpo, which hosted 90 exhibitors and approximately 49 thousand visitors from 358 countries last year, was organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade, with the organization of Aegean Exporters' Associations. In the "Buyers Delegation Bilateral Meetings", a business volume of 2 billion dollars was achieved. This year, at the fair between 1-5 February 2023, sector representatives will come together with nearly a thousand buyer companies from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans and the Turkish Republics. With a business volume target of 2.5 billion dollars, the 18th Agroexpo aims to host close to 100 thousand visitors with 80 exhibitors from 400 countries.
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