TOBB Board Member and the President of Commodity Exchange of Adana Mr Sahin Bilgic said that the import of cotton can be reduced in stages from 65 percent figures down to 35 percent by increasing the production of sustainable cotton.
President of the Board of Directors at 'Application of Good Cotton Organisation ( Iyi Pamuk Uygulamalari Dernegi -IPUD) Leon Picon and the IPUD General Manager Sukran Baycura visited Adana Commodity Exchange.
Mr Picon said that they started up the Application of Good Cotton Organisation with the purpose of making the cotton production in Turkey better and sustainable for the producers involved in cotton production, for the environment and for the future of the sector.
Mr Picon who reminded that in order to produce Better Cotton in Turkey; a Strategic Partnership Agreement has been signed with BCI in 2014; said that ' The purpose of this partnership is to reduce the negative environmental and social effects caused by cotton production in Turkey, and to increase the availability of cotton with Better Cotton Licence that is produced in sustainable conditions for the Turkish Industrialists that are members of the BCI. Amongst the cities that produces cotton with Better Cotton Licence in sustainable conditions in 2015 Season are Adana, Izmir, Aydin, Antalya, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Sanliurfa and Diyarbakir.
President of ATB (Adana Commodity Exchange) Sahin Bilgic said that in the production of cotton with Better Cotton Licence in sustainable conditions; as a unit that works directly with the farmers; they are the only exchange in Turkey that makes an input. Bilgic said; 'the number of producers and merchants that are joining this application is increasing in our Adana. We know that IPUD are in process of valuable exercises. We have a serious opening at oily seeds. There is also 65 percent import of cotton from abroad. Turkey produced this cotton for many years. It can produce it again. But we know that the producers are not making the money they wish. They are shifting into other products as an alternative. Therefore the cotton needs to be grown in the areas where cotton grows. Starting of the 'Havza Module (splitting of the areas based on factors such as its climate, type of soil, geography and many other factors)' by the Food, Agriculture and Farming Ministry in year 2017 will increase the value of products; such as cotton (first to be affected) and the oily seeds. By working to increase the quality and sustainability of the cotton; we can bring our need of importing the cotton from 65 percent to 35percent from abroad in stages.
