As a result of the work carried out in cooperation with Kastamono University, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University and Turkish Sugar Factories A.Ş. (Turkşeker), the harvest of Turkey's first registered indigenous sugarcane Seeds, "Turkșeker 2023" and "Türkşeker 2053", has started in the district of Merzifon, Amasya.
The domestic sugarcane varieties registered on 4 April 2024 have been included in the "National List of Varieties", which is a major step towards reducing dependence on foreign sugarcane production in our country. Turkey's ability to use its seeds in sugarcane production will help strengthen domestic agriculture and make production processes more sustainable.
Following the production permit granted by the Directorate of Seed Registration and Certification Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Ankara on 28 January 2022, our University member Prof. Dr Mehmet Cengiz Baloğlu, Professor Dr Songül Gürel from Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, and the expert staff of Prof. Dr Ekrem Gürel of Turkşeker carried out rigorous work in the process of developing sugarcane seeds. In this context, detailed analyses were carried out on the quality and yield of seeds.
The seeds from the harvest will be distributed to the panchar farmers next spring. This distribution is important for integrating indigenous seeds into the agricultural production process and their availability to farmers nationwide. Farmers will be able to produce more efficiently and sustainably, taking advantage of the benefits of indigenous seeds.
Our rector expressed his satisfaction at the positive results of last year's cooperation, stressing that the university-industry cooperation will make significant contributions to the country's economy. Our Rector thanked all the academic staff who contributed to the work and also thanked Dr. Muhiddin Shahin, Director General of TURKSHEKER, and Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, Chairman of the YEK for encouraging and supporting university-industry cooperation.
The project aims to reduce Turkey's dependence on foreign sugarcane production and is expected to contribute to the country's economy and agricultural sustainability through indigenous seeds.
