Turkish Flour Industrialists’ Federation (TUSAF), ’Sustainable Future: Climate, Water, Agriculture’ theme, the 19th International Congress and Exhibition brought together more than 400 companies with more than 1500 delegates. Stating that they have positive expectations for 2025, Haluk Tezcan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TUSAF, stated that they foresee flour exports to be between 3 million 600 thousand and 4 million tonnes.
Turkish Flour Industrialists’ Federation (TUSAF), which gathers the organisations serving in the flour sector under a single roof, organised the 19th of its congress and exhibition, which is held internationally every year, between 13-16 February 2025 this year with the theme of ’Sustainable Future: Climate, Water, Agriculture’ theme in Antalya.
The congress, which was attended by more than 1500 national and international delegates and more than 400 companies, also hosted more than 40 exhibition areas. In the event, which was followed with great interest by sector stakeholders and leading representatives of the world of economy, topics such as changing grain and flour markets, world grain policies and food, energy, climate change, drought, new trade dynamics and current markets were discussed.
‘Water security will now be one of our most important challenges’
Touching on the changes in agricultural policies and food supply security, TUSAF Chairman Haluk Tezcan said, ‘We have been working on sustainability for years and talking about the dangers that await us. Our ability to prevent and control possible dangers depends entirely on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reaching net zero emissions. Within the scope of the Green Covenant, we will accelerate our efforts to maintain quality, increase efficiency and become carbon neutral in the coming seasons. As flour industrialists, we will continue to sign new projects to leave a green and sustainable Türkiye for the future. Agricultural policies are changing in the world and in our country. Countries are now making production plans centred on water. Therefore, while we talk about food supply security, water security will now be one of our most important struggles. In these days when food supply security is one of the biggest threats to the world, we better understand how important it is for us as a country to have strong stocks. With this strength, we are showing the signals to the whole world that we will not worry about stocks in the future.’
In 2024, with an export figure of over 3 million tonnes, revenues close to 1.5 billion dollars
Stating that they closed the 2024 season by producing 20 million tonnes of wheat, Tezcan continued his words as follows: ‘While realising our product supply in the domestic market without any problems, we earned nearly 1.5 billion dollars with an export figure of more than 3 million tonnes in 2024, as we have done for the last 10 years. Thus, we managed to close the season as the world export leader again. This success is the result of the joint efforts of our exporting companies, industrialists who realize the product supply in the domestic market without any problems and our sector stakeholders who form the building blocks of our industry. On this occasion, I would like to express our gratitude to all our industrialists, sector stakeholders and public institutions that support us.’
2025 objectives: To protect the consumer, ensure fair competition and reliable food supply
Making statements about the sector’s targets for 2025, Tezcan said, ‘Although the restrictions imposed on wheat imports within the scope of foreign trade measures put into effect with TMO Intervention purchase prices in 2024 made it difficult for wheat imports to reach the 4 million tonnes threshold predicted for the previous year, we believe that we will write our name in golden letters by accelerating our exports in the rest of the year. With this belief, we anticipate that we will close the 2025 season with an export figure of 4 million tonnes.
It is possible to say that a risky period awaits the food industry when the problems in accessing financing are added to the contractions experienced on a global scale. As TUSAF, our main goals in the 2025 Season, protecting the consumer, ensuring fair competition in the sector, safe and reliable food supply will be our most important working issues.’