Organic farming in our country started in the mid-1980s with the production of dried grapes, dried figs, dried apricots and hazelnuts for export with the contracted farming system under the leadership of European organic farming companies. Organic farming activities first started in Tekelioğlu Village, Manisa in 1986 with the cultivation of sample organic products in the area determined by the muhtar's office. The first organic raisin production project was implemented in 1986, followed by the organic fig project in 1987. In the context of legal and institutional regulations, we can examine the organic farming sector in Türkiye in 3 different periods.
In the first period (1984-1993), there was no national legal regulation. Our country was just getting acquainted with organic agriculture and production was carried out according to the rules of the importing countries.
In the second period (1994-2002), some developments occurred at the regulation level and organic farming activities began to develop and become widespread, especially in the Aegean region.
The third period is from 2003 to the present, and the Organic Agriculture Law was published on 03 December 2004, and this was followed by the Regulation on the Principles and Implementation of Organic Agriculture, which came into force on 10 June 2005.
In the following years, our product range has expanded; we have started to produce and export hard-shelled and dried fruits, frozen fruits and vegetables, fresh fruits and vegetables, spices and legumes. In addition to these, the production and export of rose water, rose oil, olive oil, cotton and textile products has also accelerated.
With the increase in organic cotton production, the organic textile sector has become increasingly important, and in recent years, organic baby textiles, towels, home textiles and bedding have been added to the organic product range. The demand for organic baby food, baby clothes, toys and baby cosmetics is increasing both domestically and abroad, especially due to the sensitivity of parents with babies aged 0-12 months.
According to TÜİK data, in 2011, including the transition to organic farming, our total product number was 225, our total farmer number was 42,460, the total area under organic farming was 614,618 hectares and our total production was 1,659,543 tons. The number of farmers doing organic farming in our country is increasing day by day.
WHY HAS ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTION INCREASED?Consumer concerns about food safety
– Pesticides
– Antibiotics
– Hormones
– GMOEnvironmental impacts of traditional agricultureEncouraging government policiesEncouraging legislation
Consumers who shop from markets in Türkiye are divided into 4 groups. Consumers who shop from markets in Turkey are divided into 4 groups:Temelde fiyata duyarlıdır.Pek çok organik ürün %30-40 daha pahalıdır.Populasyonun %15’i sağlığına duyarlı ve bu ürünleri alma isteğinde olan grubu oluşturmaktadır.Hipermarketlerde organik kioskların açılması benimsenmekte,ancak tüketicinin eğitime ihtiyacı olduğuna inanılmaktadır.Pek çok tüketici halen ürünlerinin zaten sağlıklı olduğuna inanmaktadır.Kentlerde yaşayan pek çok aile bazı temel gıdaları doğup büyüdükleri kırsal kesimlerden getirtmektedir.
| Year | Number of products (Pieces) | Number of farmers (Number) | Number of farmers (%) | Area (Hectares) | Area (%) | Production (Tonnes) | Production (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 205 | 14401 | – | 203811 | – | 421934 | – |
| 2006 | 203 | 14256 | -1,0 | 192,789 | -5,4 | 458095 | 8,6 |
| 2007 | 201 | 16276 | 14,2 | 174283 | -9,6 | 568128 | 24,0 |
| 2008 | 247 | 14926 | -8,3 | 166883 | -4,2 | 530224 | -6,7 |
| 2009 | 212 | 35565 | 138,3 | 501641 | 200,6 | 983715 | 85,5 |
| 2010 | 216 | 42097 | 18,4 | 510033 | 1,7 | 1343737 | 36,6 |
| 2011 | 225 | 42460 | 0,9 | 614618 | 20,5 | 1659543 | 23,5 |
Source: Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock
(1) Natural collection areas are included.
The number of countries to which we export has reached 32. EU countries such as Germany, France, Italy, England, Denmark and the Netherlands constitute our most important export markets. Our most exported organic products are frozen fruits, raisins and dried apricots. At the same time, organic cotton, organic chickpeas and lentils have gained a remarkable place in our exports.
Hazelnuts, which are unique to our Black Sea region, have gained a new export area by being produced with organic farming methods and continue to maintain this position steadily.
Although our country has an important place in organic product exports, we also import some organic products. Baby food, pasta, bread, chocolate, canned food, jam, tea varieties and animal products are imported from countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Belgium and Sweden.