Türkiye’s seed sector aims to enter top 5 worldwide

Türkiye aims to elevate its seed sector from the 11th rank to the top five in the global seed industry in the next decade, a sector representative told Anadolu.

Haci Omer Guler, chairman of the Turkish Seed Union (TURKTOB), said Asia is just as likely as the EU to grow in the seed market.

Guler said the association worked hard to increase seed exports, noting that Türkiye’s seed sector ran a foreign trade surplus since 2018.

Türkiye’s foreign trade surplus in the sector was 117% in seeds, 550% in seedlings, 169% in ornamental plants, and 134% overall since 2018, Guler said.

He noted Türkiye’s seed sector exports reached nearly $490 million, and its imports totaled $364 million.

Guler said the global seed market is worth $70 billion, which is expected to rise to over $100 billion by 2030. “Our goal is to put Türkiye among the top five in the next 10 years,” he vowed.

“We’re working to maintain and expand our current markets, as well as to engage in commercial activities in growing regions like Asia,” he noted, adding that most Turkish seed sector exports go to the EU, Russia, and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) countries.

He mentioned that increasing product diversity, opening up new markets, building global brand value, focusing on promotional activities, improving seed quality, and preventing unregistered seed production are among the key goals to maintain the positive outlook.

Guler noted the Turkish public deems the country’s seed sector as dependent on foreign countries or forced to import, which harms the Turkish agricultural sector.

“While we import the special seeds we need, we also export much more—every year our high-value-added seed exports increase, but the success of the industry is overshadowed by this perception,” he added.