Ministry Prepares to Shorten Supply Chain with New Wholesale Market Law

November 6, 2026 · Bloomberg HT

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı evaluated critical issues in the agricultural sector, from the new wholesale market regulation heading to Parliament to the uncompromising disclosure process in food safety and pesticide analyses.

Revision to Reduce Intermediaries in Wholesale Market Law

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı met with press members in Istanbul and comprehensively evaluated the key agenda items of the agriculture and food sector. Minister Yumaklı announced that legislative work on the wholesale market law will come before the Turkish Grand National Assembly commission shortly, emphasizing that the main goal is to integrate producer unions and cooperatives directly into the market mechanism.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı made the following statement regarding the details of the legal preparations:

"All of these have already been discussed in the food committee. Issues such as producer unions and cooperatives having a greater presence in wholesale markets and marketplaces, and even producer unions being able to establish product sales points outside of wholesale markets. They have just completed their latest work within the AK Party group. I expect it to come to the commission soon. There are other matters as well. For example, a system that allows large retail points to purchase directly from producers up to a certain amount. Applications that will eliminate intermediaries, encourage faster, contract-based production will be included. We will see the final version together. The faster you can bring the product from the field to the final consumer point, the more you will reduce the costs in between. Currently, a large portion of the costs comes from transportation. The increase in oil prices is also a factor in this."

Legal Rules Will Be Applied to Hobby Gardens

Touching upon the legal regulations and inspections implemented to protect fertile agricultural lands, Minister Yumaklı clarified the discussions surrounding hobby gardens in public discourse. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı stated that the issue is fundamentally a zoning problem rather than an agricultural production problem, conveying the matter with the following words:

"This is actually a zoning problem. No one objects to authorized structures in agricultural areas. However, as I said, this zoning issue is not my domain. We passed a legislative amendment through our Parliament to prevent agricultural lands from being degraded by any illegal construction. After this legal change, there was a cutoff. Now, a group called 'those stuck by the zoning law' has formed. And they are keeping it on the agenda. Everyone in this country must comply with the rules, whatever they are. Therefore, whatever will happen to those who do not comply, will happen."

Quality and Purchases in the Hazelnut Market

Touching upon the market regulation and purchase policies of the Turkish Grain Board (TMO), Minister Yumaklı clarified the gap between free market prices and the institution's purchase thresholds. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı stated the following, drawing attention to the quality and standards of the crops delivered by producers:

"TMO announced its purchase price and is buying all hazelnuts that meet the criteria set for it. The fact that it is cheaper in the market is related to quality. TMO continues to buy at the announced price."

Minister Yumaklı also reiterated that within the framework of agricultural production planning officially launched in 2023, new fruit tree planting has been prohibited on land with a slope of less than 6%, and the structural transformation of the agricultural pattern is continuing with determination.

Black Sea Logistics Diplomacy in Fruit Exports

Yumaklı stated that producers and exporters faced various difficulties due to logistical disruptions on the Black Sea shipping route for fresh fruit and vegetable exports, and announced that they were conducting intensive agricultural diplomacy to prevent the disruption of trade flow. He said that as a result of bilateral meetings with officials of the Russian Federation, vehicle queues and operational bottlenecks at border crossings were resolved.

Yumaklı stated that the condition of subjecting one out of every two trucks to comprehensive laboratory analysis, which was applied in the past, has been relaxed, and reported that as a result of the agreement reached based on data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the frequency of analysis has been reduced to 20% for first-group products and 10% for second-group products.

Commitment to Real-Time Disclosure in Food Safety

Minister Yumaklı stated that no institution will be given preferential treatment in the process of combating counterfeit and adulterated products that threaten consumer health, and indicated that the digital disclosure mechanism is operated immediately after administrative sanctions. Emphasizing that inspections are continuing uninterruptedly, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı delivered a message of determination:

"There is absolutely no compromise on this matter. We all have children. It is unacceptable for anyone to sell a product to you in a way that is different from what is stated. No one has the right to do such a thing. This is misunderstood: 'Why do you disclose? Do what needs to be done.' We do what needs to be done. Then we disclose. We impose the penalty. We withdraw the product. Whatever penalty corresponds to the offense. Then we disclose these in real-time. That is the biggest penalty, actually. We are as determined as we were on the day we started. I don't care at all who is who. I accept this. It is not easy to build a brand. It is not easy to maintain a position in the market. You invest labor and capital, but the imitation and adulteration you do as a result is not the consumer's problem at all. Everyone must produce and present the product they have produced to people in the way they have promised. There is no room for discussion on this."

We Are Below the European Average in Pesticide Use

Yumaklı stated that they have comprehensively negotiated the issue of agricultural pesticide residues with officials of the European Union Commission, and that they are increasing biological and biotechnological control methods while reducing chemical use. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı shared the following information regarding the contacts made:

"Agricultural pesticide residue also came up there. Our decrease in RASFF notifications in the last 3 years is 74%. We are doing biological and biotechnological control. We will share our practices in this regard with them. They had the perception that pesticides were used very intensively in Turkey. However, the rate of pesticide use per hectare in the European Union is 3.2 kilograms, while in Turkey it is 2.3 kilograms. As a result, we agreed to further develop our cooperation in this regard. I personally consider the high perception in our society regarding the use of agricultural pesticides to be a very positive and good situation. It should be this way, in my opinion. We are also working to minimize it by considering this sensitivity."

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