Malya Agricultural Enterprise Doubles Certified Seed Production
· AA Tarım & Ekonomi
Certified seed production at the Malya Agricultural Enterprise, under TIGEM, has reached 12,000 tons, nearly doubling the long-term average, largely due to favorable rainfall.
Modern Seed Preparation at Malya
Certified seed preparations are ongoing without interruption at the Malya Agricultural Enterprise in Kırşehir Boztepe, which is the fourth largest enterprise under the General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises (TIGEM). At the enterprise, established in 1942, the harvest of cereal and forage crops, conducted on approximately 89,000 decares of land, has been completed. Ziraat Engineer Yiğit Yılmaz Gönenç stated that the harvested products are processed without human contact in modern facilities and shared the following information regarding the facility's processing capacity:
"Our facility has a seed screening system with a capacity to prepare 10 tons of seed per hour, and a packaging facility with a capacity of up to 20 tons of seed per hour. We are an enterprise with the capacity to prepare 250 to 300 tons of seed daily for farmers to plant. In total, we have the capacity to produce and sell 12,000 tons of cereal seed and 500 tons of forage legume seed."
Record Increase in Seed Production
Within the enterprise, 10,000 tons of storage space is utilized in steel silos and 15,000 tons in warehouses for cereal storage. Seed production, which has hovered around 7,000 tons on average over many years, has risen to 12,000 tons this season due to the impact of abundant rainfall. Ziraat Engineer Yiğit Yılmaz Gönenç reported that they have increased their seed preparation capacity due to the production increase. Emphasizing that this production meets approximately 2% of Turkey's total certified cereal seed supply, Gönenç noted that the prepared products are delivered to producers through dealers after certification processes.
Yield Increase and Farmer Support
Ziraat Engineer Yiğit Yılmaz Gönenç highlighted the contribution of certified seed usage to agricultural yields, stating that these seeds provide a yield increase of 20% to 300% in production. Emphasizing that TIGEM's fundamental mission is to support producers, Ziraat Engineer Yiğit Yılmaz Gönenç said the following:
"The importance we place on certified seed production stems from our sensitivity to increasing our farmers' yields. Increased farmer yields will greatly benefit the country's development. As an institution and enterprise, directing our farmers towards certified seeds brings about an increase in their yields. Therefore, we support our farmers regarding certified seeds and do everything we can to ensure they produce quality and healthy crops."
Seed Varieties Adapted to Regions
Ziraat Engineer Yiğit Yılmaz Gönenç stated that varieties resistant to climatic conditions and diseases are meticulously prepared and made the following statement regarding the distribution network of seeds developed by the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM):
"Our barley varieties such as 'Tarm-92' and 'Burakbey', developed by TAGEM (General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies) affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, are regionally adapted, drought and disease-resistant, treated products by us, and are distributed to many places, especially in the Central Anatolia Region, such as Kars, Sivas, Ankara, Polatlı, Çankırı, and Yozgat. In addition, our wheat varieties 'Bayraktar 2000', 'Bezostaja 1', and 'ES 26', also developed by TAGEM, are certified by us and distributed and sold to various provinces. I wish our farmers a very fruitful season."