"TÜRKiYE LAUNCHED AN AGRO FOOD PLATFORM".

Türkiye is one of the largest countries in Europe with a huge population, area and especially great opportunities which are offered in various areas. Agriculture is the largest sector in Türkiye in terms of employment with more than 30% of the workforce in this sector.

The agricultural sector in Türkiye has been growing for the last couple of years with more and more companies investing in the sector. Furthermore, new farms are being equipped with modern farm machinery, tools, etc. and mechanization is getting increasingly popular all over Türkiye.

Organic farming and organic products are getting more and more popular in Türkiye in parallel with the growing importance and popularity of organic products in Europe.

In addition to this, Türkiye has a great advantage in the sense that there are still avaible lands in Türkiye without any pollution which is perfect for organic production.

We as Mersin Agrofood Platform would like to take this opportunity to intruduce ourselfs and hope to co-operate on mutual opportunities to work together with all sector representatives and looking forward to a mutual rewarding co-operation for our global agriculture.

Mersin is on 36º-48º North paralles and 34º-37º East longitudes on the Mediterranean cost of Türkiye.

With it’s 1600hectare agricultural lands Mersin is Türkiye’s agricultural warehouse.

The Region where you can carry out your innovative projects in practice with it’s;

• Fertile soil

• Subtropical climate

• Avarage 290days/year sunny days

• Wide crop variety

• Early fruit growing

• Plenty of water

• Turkiye’s %86 of pulses exportation is from Mersin

• Modern greenhouses (Turkiye’s second biggest city on greenhouse production)

• Lands and conditions are suitable for organic production

• Alata Horticultural Research Institude and Mersin Tecnoscope works to advance and research for the new crop varieties for regions agriculture

• Facilities: Mersin International Port

                             Sakirpasa International Airport

                             Mersin Free Zone

                             Mersin Tarsus Organized Industrial Zone

                             Mersin Science Park (Teknoscope)

• And many more….

Who are we?

Mersin Agro-food Platform has been established on 23.06.2007 as an output of the Project RIS (Regional Innovation Strategies) Mersin which is granted from 6’th framework of European Union.

Institutions taken place in the Platform

• Mersin Special Provincial Private Administration

• Provincial Directorate of Agriculture

• Provincial Directorate of Control Division

• Mersin Chamber of Agriculture

• Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry

• Mersin Tarsus Organized Industrial Zone

• Mediterranean Exporter Unions

• Mersin University

• Mersin Commodity Exchange

• Mersin Chamber of Agricultural Engineers

• Mersin Chamber of Food Engineers

• ALATA Horticultural Research Institute

• Tarsus Soil and Water Sources Research Institude

• Çukurova Development Agency

• Representatives of Private Sector

Mission:

• To become a pioneer region for the application of economically viable R&D actions in agricultural technologies and plant diversity.

• To increase our branded products by developing the agricultural capacity in coordination with producer organizations through R&D actions.

Vision:

• To create sustainable coordination networks and enhance the interaction and intercommunication between producers-suppliers-traders-industrials and researchers.

• To generate success stories with open-minded producers using new products and/or innovative technologies.

Main Achievements:

• Mersin has been choosen to coordinate the National Agriculture Technologies Platform which has established under the coordination of TUBITAK (Scientific and Technical Research Council of the Turkish Republic) .

• Organic Agriculture Summit (October 22’nd 2007)

• One year education program has been formed by Provincial Directorate of Agriculture, Mersin Chamber of Agriculture, Mersin Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, ALATA Horticultural Research Institute and Mersin University

• In order to strengthen our collaboration network and to get financial support for platforms activities platform applied TUBITAK’s support program called _SBAP.

• In order to intruduce Mersin’s agriculture producers and the projects regarding to the Mersin’s agriculture potential, Platform has been represented at the Fruit Logistica Berlin Agriculture fair.

Broshures and Cd’s has been prepared for this fair.

• Platform also represented at the 3rd Agriculture and 2nd Food Technologies & Packaging Fairs which has been organized in Mersin.

• Platform’s web page has been established www.mersintarimplatformu.com

• Platfrom’s education group has started to give seminers to the farmers and food enterprises :

content of the seminers:

for famers:

citrus diseases and pests also battle methods, irrigation, agriculture insurance,pesticide remainders and surveillance, peach diseases and pests, vineyard diseases and pests, 5179 numbered food law, agricultural battle methods, tomato diseases and pests,organic agriculture , vegetable diseases and pests, vegetable fertilization,soil and leaf analysis for food enterprises establishment of ISO 22000- hygiene, sanitation ,risk analysis, food security management systems.