Domestically produced seed bank stocks grow

TEKIRDAG – Stressing that seed production is necessary for the agricultural sector, Masum Burak, Turkey's General Director of Agricultural Research and Policy said recently that if a country does not grow seeds which are suitable to its climate, highly productive and resistant to diseases, farmers will inevitably purchase imported seeds, making the country's agriculture sector dependent on outside resources.

Burak went on to emphasize that "money allocated for research activities is reflective of the level of development in a country. While Turkey allocated 0.05 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) for research and development studies 10 years ago, the current rate is about 0.9 percent. This suggests there has been significant investment in research and development studies in the last decade. If you don't develop your own seed varieties and invest in your technology, you will have no choice but to import from foreign countries."
Burak added that, "Turkey is a self-sufficient country with 2,000 employees working in research and development. After we develop new varieties, we obtain their patent and export them. There are almost 35 countries that we export our seeds to, which is a very substantial progress. Turkey has every right to be proud of its economic and social status."

In addition to stating there are 12,000 plant species in Turkey, 4,000 of which are endemic, Burak spoke about studies and efforts to protect plant diversity. "The Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock protects plant diversity by establishing genbanks in research institutes. For instance, in 2010, Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan opened the third-largest genbank of the world in Ankara.
We save 107,000 different kinds of seeds in İzmir's genbank. Moreover, we provide sources by giving those seeds to people who are engaged in research and development studies to produce new seed varieties. Thus, we both save today's seeds for the future generations and develop new seed varieties to export. Genbanks are significant because they promote the welfare of Turkish farmers."

Burak concluded by stating that the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies was engaged in research and development projects to protect Turkish agriculture from any foreseeable danger and Turkey has the necessary infrastructure and qualified labor force to move forward.