Turkey launched a digital agriculture market (DİTAP) to link producers and buyers. Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli stated that this virtual market is to bring farmers, agriculture industries, cooperatives, wholesalers, retailers, agricultural input providers, and importers together on an online platform. Handling and logistic processes are expected to speed up dramatically with the help of the digital market while the accessibility to the agriculture market increases. Producers will earn more and consumers will gain access to cheaper crops through the virtual market. Pakdemirli added that DİTAP will be highly beneficial for agriculture planning since the ministry will control the price fluctuations occurring in the industry easily, inspect agricultural lands through satellite imaging, and create an overall standardization. The whole chain will be tracked from the very beginning when the seeds are sown to the consumers’ tables and planned cultivation will enhance. Agricultural lands will also be tracked with the help of virtual tracing, strengthening the fight against unregistered lands.
The Export Market in Turkey Expects a Boost
DİTAP will be open to international trades in the upcoming days. The export market is expected to expand significantly as the agricultural commodities will be sold directly and the prices will be more predictable in the digital market before the season starts. Even though it has been launched recently, the sales made on DİTAP have excessed ₺100 million. Pakdemirli said the goal is to reach billions. “When we reach a certain point, the inflation in the agriculture sector will reduce significantly,” he added. He reminded that Turkey takes the first place in agricultural production among European countries and is the first ten globally. According to Pakdemirli, Turkey has the potential to reach 40% of the world population and trade volume of $1.9 trillion. With the digital market launched, Turkey expects domestic and international growth in the agriculture industry.