News

Launched by Turkey's most beloved sunflower oil brand, Yudum and the Seed Association last year, the Local Sunflower Seed Development and Farmer Support Projectcontinues in Konya in its second year. Test plantings took place in the application areas of Yağlabayat Village in Konya, Gözlü Directorate of Agricultural Enterprise, and Bahri Dagdas Directorate of International Agricultural Research Institute.

 

Launched in Thrace by Turkey’s favorite sunflower oil and the leader of the sector, Yudum, in cooperation with the Seed Association, and continuing its second year in Konya, the Local Sunflower Seed Development and Farmer Support Project produced its harvest. With the project, Yudum and the Seed Association aim to develop high-yielding domestic sunflower seeds in Turkey, increase diversity and support sunflower farmers.

 

As part of the Local Sunflower Seed Development and Farmer Support Project, the plantings completed last year in Thrace are now followed by the plantings in Konya this year. The project is run with the technical support of Directorate of Thrace Agricultural Research Institute (TTAE) and Bahri Dagdas Directorate of International Agricultural Research Institute, and with the contributions of Karatay Chamber of Agriculture.

 

The harvest ceremony of the project was held in six different villages in Konya this year and hosted by Musa Kaya, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Seed Association, and Houmer Balazadeh, Savola Foods General Manager for Turkey. The participants also included Dr. Metin Türker, TAGEM’s General Manager; Ercan Türktemel, Deputy Director General of Crop Production of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry; Ayşegül Selışık, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Turkey; Tahir Buyukhelvacıgil, President of the Association of Vegetable Oil Industrialists; and Rifat Kavuneker, President of the Karatay Chamber of Agriculture as well as farmers from Konya. The harvest ceremony held in Yağlıbayat village both gave hope for increasing domestic production and was the scene for joyful moments.

 

Within the scope of the Local Sunflower Seed Development and Farmer Support Project, 10 breeds of domestic seeds were planted and harvested in Tekirdağ Muratlı, Edirne Keşan districts in Thrace and Silivri in Istanbul last year. These 10 varieties were evaluated in terms of performance parameters such as post-harvest productivity and oil content.

 

As a result of the evaluations, 5 varieties with the highest performance were identified. According to the yield and oil ratios, the first 5 varieties were ranked as: SUN 2259, M98CL88, ROSETA, IMI1810 and TR 2242CL.

 

These 5 varieties, which have a performance above the accepted averages in the region, and the new 5 varieties developed this year were included in this year's test study. In this context, a total of 10 varieties of domestic sunflower seeds were planted this year in the villages of Yağlıbayat, Yenikent, Göçü, Ovakavağı, Yarma and Karakaya in Konya.

 

Female and young farmers were prioritized

Within the scope of the Local Sunflower Seed Development and Farmer Support Project, a farmers’ network was established with the participation of about 300 farmers, including farmers from Thrace who participated in the project last year, and farmers from Konya this year. Farmers in this farmers’ network were given seed support in March this year. While 70 farmers were given seed support through a selection made by a draw, priority was given to female, young farmers and farmers in need. During the project, farmers were also provided with face-to-face training and practical technical support.

 

The sociological aspect of the project is also one of its prominent features. Within the scope of the project, priority is given to supporting female and young farmers. Supporting female farmers is seen as an important step in bringing forth the invisible labor of women in agriculture. It is seen as very valuable to support young people, who have been moving away from farming, rural life and agriculture, as part of this project to make agriculture attractive in their eyes.

 

All domestic seeds suitable for both dry and irrigated agricultural conditions

All of the seed types planted within the scope of the project are domestic and have the yield capacity in both dry and irrigated agricultural conditions. The seeds are resistant to common diseases, damage caused by birds and sunburn, and their oil content is over 35%.

 

In the next phase of the project, test plantings and seed support efforts will continue in new demonstration areas using domestic seed varieties ranking top 5 in terms of yield. When the tests end in the 3^rd year of the project, the most productive seeds will be determined via tests and evaluations. Then, an application will be made to the Directorate of Agricultural Registration and Certification affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, to initiate the registration process. 

 

Participating in the harvest ceremony, Tahir Büyükhelvacıgil, President of the Association of Vegetable Oil Industrialists, pointed out that the number of projects such as the Local Sunflower Seed Development and Farmer Support Project should increase in order to increase domestic production and empower farmers: “With such projects, it will be possible to reduce oily seed imports by increasing our domestic production in the long term. In this context, the contribution it will provide to our economy is undeniable. I have full faith that the Local Sunflower Seed Development and Farmer Support Project will achieve successful results. The public, civil society and industry came together on the project; they developed the project and put it into practice together with the hardworking, devoted farmers of this country. ‘Savola Foods Turkey’ from the private sector, ‘the Seed Education, Culture and Nature Association’ as a non-governmental organization, ‘Agricultural Research Institutes’ and ‘Chamber of Agriculture Directorates’ from the public sector are working together in this project. Finally, the first-year productivity analysis cited by Mr. Musa also shows that very successful results will emerge. Providing seed, training and technical application support to sunflower farmers within the scope of the project is also one of the milestones in increasing our domestic production. To add to that, I was pleased to learn that women and young people were prioritized when selecting farmers to provide seed support. I would like to congratulate and thank all project stakeholders for this approach.”

 

Sustainability is taken as basis in the project

Sustainability was taken as basis in the project to increase domestic production with domestic seeds and support farmers in every sense. Musa Kaya, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Seed Association, mentioned last year's harvest results at the harvest ceremony and added: “As the Seed Association, we are trying to develop and implement projects that support nature, agriculture and farmers. The Local Sunflower Seed Development and Farmer Support Project that we launched with Savola Foods Turkey last year was a first in the sector. With the project, we aim to develop sunflower seeds in our country and to obtain high-quality domestic varieties in terms of yield and quality. After last year's harvest, the varieties were evaluated in terms of yield and oil quantities, and 5 varieties with the highest performance were identified. In addition to these 5 varieties, the new 5 varieties developed this year were used to perform demonstration plantings with the support of leading farmers in Konya. We are very happy to implement our project with farmers of Konya this year and harvest together here. After the harvest we have made today, productivity analysis will be applied to the varieties tested. The domestic seeds, the efficiency of which has been proven, will be registered and introduced to our domestic production. It is very valuable for us to have Yudum, the sector leader, by our side in our projects that will contribute to our country's economy and farmers.”

 

“As Yudum, we will continue to work to increase domestic production and support our farmers.”

In his speech at the harvest ceremony, Houmer Balazadeh, Savola Foods General Manager for Turkey, stated that he was satisfied with the results of the planting they made with farmers in Konya this year in cooperation with the Seed Association: “Last year, we have taken an important step with our Yudum brand and the Seed Association with the Local Sunflower Seed Development and Farmer Support Project in the Thrace region. This project will be a turning point in the development of high-yielding domestic seeds and increasing diversity in Turkey. We are happy and proud to continue the project we started in Thrace with farmers in Konya, one of the most important agricultural centers of Turkey. By taking part in this project, our valuable farmers have taken a very important step for Turkish agriculture and sunflower production. Next year, we are planning to move this project to Çukurova, Adana another important agricultural center of Turkey. In the following years, we will also be moving it to other regions of Turkey.”