İzmir becoming center of organic agriculture

The organics trend continues to grow in Turkey’s farming sector as in the rest of the world.  İzmir is to become the new national center for organic agriculture. Under the plan, studies will be carried out and models adapted with the goal of creating a  standard for organics.

Speaking at the �Group Work in Organic Agriculture and New Business Opportunities� conference held at the Aegean Exporters Union, Yasin Türkcan, an expert with the Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade, stated that a model, making İzmir a center for ecologically friendly agriculture, would set a model for the whole country.

Explaining that the first phase of the project would be completed in 2009, Türkcan said, �within the scope of the studies concerning development of a National Grouping Policy, we designated the places the groups are to be formed. This project is very important considering the medium- and long-term plans of both Turkey and the European Union.�

The city’s expertise, export performance and the sectors’ load in a city were the main criteria considered in carrying out grouping studies about organic agriculture and resulted in İzmir being named as the location for the project.

Ecological Agriculture Organization (ETO) President Atilla Erten said the volume of organic agriculture marketed in the world climbed to some $46 billion in 2007, showing a 21 percent growth recently.

�Turkey took part in activities related to organic agriculture with 14,000 producers on 192,000 hectares of land and with 207 types of products in 2006. The rate of export facilities with Germany is 33 percent. This rate is 17 percent with the United States,� said Erten.

source:www.turkishdailynews.com.tr