Bringing together the Turkish agriculture industry with professional visitors from all corners of the world the Growtech Eurasia 2011 Agriculture Fair hosted 630 companies, of which 156 were international. In its 11th year Growtech Eurasia once again proved that it is the biggest agriculture fair in the region by reaching 66,324 visitors. Visitors were highly interested in the products and latest technologies displayed. Representatives from more than 20 countries took part in the fair where the Netherlands, Germany, France, China, and Spain set up their country pavilions. The fair witnessed the signing of several international agreements. The Turkish agriculture industry, which has seen staggering exports recently, the latest technologies, innovations and new products were all showcased at the 11th International Growtech Eurasia Fair. This year 66,324 visitors visited the fair that took place for four days at the Antalya Expo Center on an area of 35,000 m2 with 630 exhibitors and brands, making it the biggest agriculture fair in the Middle East and West Europe. Problems and success stories in the industry were discussed during the panel sessions held throughout the fair.
Engin Er, Group Director of Fairs at NTSR Fairs talked about Turkey’s rich plant diversity and commented that: “Turkey is experiencing serious problems in fruit and vegetable exports due to the pesticide criteria. That is why at the Growtech Fair we aimed to display to producers advanced pesticide technologies and different innovations such as production using bees, without using any pesticides. Bombus bees, including the queen bee, are used in such type of production. These bees clean the pesticide residues on the fruits and vegetables. Several Turkish companies also showcased their production systems that use bees and received a lot of attention. The bee system is considered to be the most successful method currently for food safety and for the removal of pesticide residues.” Used in the production of several fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, muskmelons, watermelons, eggplants, and strawberries around 5,000 Bombus bees pollinate the fruits and vegetables. Most importantly, they reduce the use of pesticides that are used in greenhouses and leave harmful residues and replace the use of hormones. Bombus bees land on 300- 400 flowers in one go and pollinate around 2,000 flowers a day.
THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA HAVE A CLIMATE AND WATER PROBLEM, TURKEY SHOULD FOCUS ITS EXPORTS ON THESE COUNTRIES...
NTSR Fairs’ Group Director of Fairs Engin Er shared information about agricultural activities around the world: the ratio of the agricultural population to the total population is 2% in USA, 5.6% in the EU, and 21% in Brazil. While the employment share in agriculture is 1.4% in the US, this rate is 5.6% in the EU and around 20% in Brazil. The ratio of agricultural land to the total area is 45% each in the US and EU and 31.6% in Brazil. As for agricultural exports, the US has reached 115.5 billion dollars, EU 107 billion dollars, and Brazil 71.9 billion dollars in exports. Turkey has the capacity to support the agriculture industry with its increasing population geographically and purchasing power. Climate issues are prominent in several European countries. In particular, there is a climate and water issue in the Middle East and North Africa. Russia and Turkic Republics are dependent on imports due to climate issues. These oil-rich countries are increasing their purchasing power by the day. Turkey has the potential to produce and market several agricultural products year long at a specific standard owing to its developing technologies and climate advantages, in particular. Furthermore, several products demanded internationally can be produced in Turkey economically. Turkey also ranks among the top global players with its produce.”
Engin Er indicated that Turkey’s agricultural exports exceeded 13 billion dollars at the end of 2011 and shared some figures: “Agricultural production has exceeded 77.5 billion dollars annually. The majority of industrial plants in Turkey use agricultural products as raw material. This plays a vital role in the development of industry. Agricultural exports have a significant share of 10.6% out of the total exports reaching 13.5 billion dollars. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry predicts that agricultural production will reach 70 billion dollars in 2012, with 30 billion dollars in exports. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry announced that agricultural production has seen a staggering increase in the past five years and that agricultural production has increased to 77.5 billion dollars in 2010 from 23.7 billion dollars in 2002. The Ministry is focusing its efforts on monitoring planning and registration systems so as to manage this development process. These systems are predominantly used in production where they can be easily integrated with technology. That is, there is a focus on high-capacity agricultural production models instead of agricultural production through conventional methods. Turkey’s target is to reach 70 billion dollars in agricultural production in 2012.”
WINNERS RECEIVED THEIR GROWTECH EURASIA AGRICULTURAL AWARDS...
The 4th Growtech Eurasia Agricultural Awards, granted to efforts that bring innovation to the agriculture industry and contribute to adding value to agricultural production, were distributed to their new owners. With a view to promoting quality production and spreading the use of modern agricultural techniques, among the projects evaluated that add value to Turkish agriculture Atay Tarim, Bioglobal, Ekosol, Gento Tohumculuk, Logo Tarim, Nalbantoglu, and Tarim Türk Dergisi were granted an award.
ORGANIC AGRICULTURE ADDRESSED DURING PANEL AT GROWTECH EURASIA…
On 1-2 December producers that have been involved in organic agriculture for long years in various regions across Turkey came together with experts, scholars and bureaucrats at Growtech Eurasia.
During the panel on ‘GLOBAL ORGANIC AGRICULTURE AND TURKEY’ organised as part of Growtech Eurasia, several presentations were delivered related to the current status of organic agriculture in Turkey, its development, an assessment through an international perspective, and case studies from other countries. Speakers shared their experiences and discussed in depth their perspectives on organic agriculture in Turkey. Markus ARBENZ, President of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Bernhard JANSEN, President of the International Centre for Organic Agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe (ECOCONNECT), Bedrullah Erçin, Provincial Head, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Atila Ertem, Chairman of ETO, and Ignacio Horche, President of the International Biocontrol Association and General Manager of Green Universe took part in the panel as speakers. In addition producers from the Turkish organic agriculture industry shared their positive and negative experiences and discussed ways to further enhance the industry’s current potential.
GROWTECH EURASIA HOSTED A PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION THEMED ‘AGRICULTURE AND PEOPLE’
Organised for the third time by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs’ Department of Publications the photography exhibition themed ‘Agriculture and People’ hosted photographs participating in the 3rd National Photography Contest.
The 3rd National Photography Contest themed ‘Agriculture and People’ witnessed significant interest from various provinces. The contest aims to raise interest towards agriculture in all walks of society, create awareness and sensitivity towards the importance of agriculture and its role in our lives, and enhance the relationship of people engaged in agriculture with the agriculture industry through such cultural events. A total of 477 people, aged between 7-88 years, took part in the contest themed ‘Agriculture and People’ with 2,061 photographs.
2011 GROWTECH EURASIA FAIR – FACT SHEET
Date: 01-04 December 2011
Venue: Antalya Expo Center
City: Antalya
Visiting Hours: 10:00 – 19:00
Total Number of Exhibitors: 555
Number of Local Exhibitors: 386
Number of International Exhibitors: 169
Number of Exhibitor Countries: 23
Exhibitor Countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Korea, Russia, Saudia Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United State
Visitor Countries: Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korean, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan
