17.01.2019 Gümüşhane / Kelkit
The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, stating that Turkey's agriculture has tremendous potential, said, “When we look at national agricultural GDP, we rank in Europe in the first and eighth globally.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu,
in his speech at the opening of the Workshop on Development of Animal Husbandry
and Cooperatives in the Kelkit Basin held at the Aydın Doğan Vocational School
in Kelkit county, said that the workshop was a remarkable step to boost
agriculture and animal husbandry in the region.
Pointing
out that the development and the enrichment of the region would be through animal
husbandry and agriculture, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “As Turkey, we have tremendous
potential in agriculture and animal husbandry. When we look at national agricultural
GDP, we rank in Europe in the first and eighth globally. Agriculture is a
direct foreign exchange earning sector in our country. We should prepare our
agriculture and livestock sector for global competition, just like the
industrial sector.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
underlined that there is a problem at this point, “We need to prepare
agriculture and animal husbandry for global competition. For this, we need new
policies because agriculture and animal husbandry are different from other
sectors. If we do not, our food safety is also threatened.”
- “We have a great market to sell
to if we are able to produce.”
Noting
that the world cannot ignore agriculture and animal husbandry in the future,
Hisarcıklıoğlu went on:
“There
is a rapidly growing middle class in the world. The middle class consumes and spends
more. Each year, the middle class population grows by twice the population of
Turkey. 160 million people added to the middle class. Around us, in our region,
is a population of about 2 billion. The 2 billion population is importing
approximately 500 billion USD of agricultural, food and livestock products,
which means we have a great market around us and we have a great market to sell
to; add to it the fact that price increases in agriculture and livestock all
over the world are always above the price increase of other products. Why?
Because population, income and consumption are increasing. In the coming
period, agriculture and animal husbandry will always profit. They will never lose
their importance. As we live, we have to consume and we have the chance the
feed the whole world.”
After
the opening speeches, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu cut the ribbon of the
photography exhibition at the Aydın Doğan Vocational School and toured the
exhibition.