The seed is the key for adequate and safe food production. Yildiray Gencer, president of TÜRKTOB and TSÜAB said that “Seeds are the most strategic agricultural inputs' for adequate and safe food production and to ensure diversity in the food in accordance with consumer demands” in a message issued on the occasion of World Food Day, October 16.
Yildiray Gencer, President of Turkey Seed Growers Association (TÜRKTOB) and Sub Union of Seed Industrialists and Producers (TSÜAB), stated that October 16 which is the establishment date of The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is celebrated as World Food Day, draws attention to concepts such as food safety, food security by organizing various activities in World Food Day in the framework of a theme determined each year by the FAO and this year's theme is determined as “Family Farming: Feeding the World, Care about the Earth”.
Yildiray Gencer emphasized that food is of vital importance in human life, said that ”Agriculture and Food is a strategic sector in our country as in all countries. The resulting climatic changes in recent years was once again focused all the attention on agriculture and food production. Seed is more important than ever in this respect. The use of quality seed is the key of “How more efficient, more secure and various agricultural products and food produced” question in which the whole world is trying to find the answer today.
President of TÜRKTOB and TSÜAB Yıldıray Gencer stated that the seed sector, which is indispensable in order to sustain human life, has the priority in agenda of not only developing countries but all advanced countries today, summarized the developments in the field of seed in our country in recent years as follow; “In the production of certified seed-seedling is provided large increases with implemented policies and the work of our Association. As of the year 2013, 743 thousand tons of certified seed was produced. This production figure is an increase of 410 percent when we look at the last 10-year period. The rate of use of local hybrid vegetable varieties has reached 50%. Vegetable seed size of gene pool was increased to 10 times in our research institute.”
Yildiray Gencer, noted that our seed exports increased to approximately $ 130 million from $ 17 million, it came to a position of a sector exporting seed to 74 countries in 2013.
Yildiray Gencer stated that local seed producers in our country are not only involved produce, but also are developed domestic varieties at the same time with their own resources, all these developments and studies is of vital importance for the solution of the problem of hunger and malnutrition experienced on a global scale.
President of TÜRKTOB and TSÜAB Yıldıray Gencer completed his statements as follows; “There are tasks to be done by all individuals for a world where adequate and safe food is available to everyone that is the most fundamental human right, there are no people who is hunger and poverty-stricken. To prevent hunger and food waste, avoid inadequate and unbalanced nutrition, to extend a helping hand to those in need is both humane and conscientious responsibility. We as Turkey Seed Growers Association and its Sub Unions, did our part for the fulfillment of these duties and responsibilities and will continue to do. Congratulations to 16 October World Food Day of all of our farmers, our consumers and our industry.”