The ‘Licensed Warehousing in Turkey and the World, Grain Markets Congress,’ organized by the Turkish Licensed Warehouse Companies Association (LİDAŞDER), attracted significant attention from industry representatives. The event, held in Antalya from January 16-19, 2025, addressed key issues in the sector. Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, emphasized that licensed warehousing can prevent storage losses ranging from 10% to 30%, potentially saving approximately 23 billion Turkish liras (around $640 million) annually. “Our goal is to establish Turkey as an international hub for licensed warehousing by 2030,” he added.

The second LİDAŞDER Congress brought together key players from the global licensed warehousing sector, with Turkey playing a significant role. The event, attended by over 700 local and international industry representatives, saw the participation of Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı and Ahmet Güldal, General Manager of the Turkish Grain Board (TMO). During the congress, discussions focused on the current state of the licensed warehousing system, the grain markets, potential areas for development, and strategies for future growth.

In his opening speech at the congress, Serdar Genç, Chairman of the Board of LİDAŞDER, emphasized that Turkey’s licensed warehousing system is among the best in the world. Reflecting on a recent visit to the United States to validate this claim, Genç stated, “During our visit to America, we proudly confirmed the progress Turkey has made in licensed warehousing. We found that Turkey’s system outperforms even the United States and the rest of the world. We are immensely proud of this achievement and would like to express our gratitude to the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and all the investors who helped establish this system.”

LICENSED WAREHOUSE CAPACITY SET TO REACH 20 MILLION TONNES 

Serdar Genç highlighted that licensed warehousing has become one of the most significant projects in the agricultural sector in recent years. He pointed out that Turkey’s licensed storage capacity has grown from 8.9 million tons to 12.2 million tons in the past two years. With a target of reaching 20 million tons by 2030, Genç emphasized that the sector has made a substantial contribution to the national economy, with an investment volume of 50 billion Turkish Liras (1.38 billion USD), the creation of 2,000 jobs, and ensuring supply security for strategic products. Concluding his speech, Genç shared his vision for the future of the sector, stating, “If we continue to work together, we will achieve our goal of making Turkey the global hub for licensed warehousing.”

Serdar Genç, Chairman of the Board of LİDAŞDER

Speaking at the congress, Turkey’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, highlighted that 48% of the country’s 23.9 million hectares of agricultural land is used for grain production. He noted that Turkey produced 39 million tons of grain in 2024, stating, “In global grain production, Turkey ranks 5th in barley, 9th in wheat, and 16th in corn.” 

Emphasizing that the agricultural sector has reached an important position globally due to investments made in the past 22 years, Yumaklı said, “We are involved in every stage of food production, from seed to table. Thanks to our robust agricultural industry, we process not only our own production but also agricultural products from neighboring regions and deliver them to global markets. We expect our food product exports, which reached $31 billion in 2023, to exceed $32 billion in 2024.”

Highlighting Turkey’s success in flour and pasta exports, Yumaklı stated, “We are ranked first and second in the world in wheat-based product exports. I am confident that these achievements will be long-lasting and sustainable. We have taken significant steps to ensure food supply security, including creating a production plan focused on water resources. We have approached this with a mobilization spirit, working on crop and livestock production plans. We are taking all necessary precautions to prevent any disruptions in production in 2025.” He further explained that the goal of the new production planning implemented in 2024 is to increase yields per unit area, adding, “Our objective is to boost production from each unit area. By 2028, we aim for a 13% increase in the production of grain products.”

UP TO 30% OF STORAGE LOSSES CAN BE PREVENTED

Minister Yumaklı emphasized Turkey’s success in the licensed warehousing system, highlighting that storing products is just as crucial as producing them. He proudly stated that Turkey is among the leading countries in the world when it comes to implementing top-tier storage systems, thanks to investments from both TMO and the private sector. “Grain storage capacity in licensed warehousing has reached 12.2 million tonnes,” Yumaklı said. “By 2030, our goal is to establish Turkey as an international hub in the sector.”

Minister Yumaklı highlighted that licensed warehousing can prevent storage losses ranging from 10% to 30%, stating, “During a one-year storage period, it is possible to prevent losses of up to 2 million tonnes. This corresponds to an estimated value of approximately 23 billion Turkish Lira (around $640 million) annually.”

İbrahim Yumaklı, Turkey’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry

TMO INTRODUCES NEW REGULATION FOR PASTA PRODUCERS

During the congress, Ahmet Güldal, General Manager of the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) announced that the wheat import ratio for the flour millers has been revised. The previous ratio of 15% imported wheat and 85% domestic wheat has now been adjusted to 25% imported wheat and 75% domestic wheat. Additionally, Güldal revealed a new regulation that will ease the situation for pasta manufacturers. “As of today, we have signed a regulation to provide durum wheat with a three-month maturity to pasta producers,” said Güldal.

Haluk Tezcan, Chairman of the Turkish Flour Industrialists Federation (TUSAF), requested that the three-month wheat supply regulation offered to pasta manufacturers be extended to the flour sector. To safeguard the competitiveness of the flour industry, which leads global exports, Tezcan also called for the current wheat import ratio of 25% and domestic wheat ratio of 75% to be adjusted to a 50-50 split. 

TURKEY’S PASTA INDUSTRY

Aykut Göymen, Chairman of the Turkish Pasta Industrialists’ Association (TMSD), provided valuable insights during the congress, stating: “Turkey is home to 25 pasta factories with a combined production capacity of 3 million tonnes. Of this, approximately 2 million tonnes is produced annually, including exports. In 2024, we set a target of 1.5 million tonnes in pasta exports, and we have already achieved 1 million 458 thousand tonnes. Over the past two years, we have relied solely on domestically produced wheat for our exports, and we are committed to continuing this practice to keep our resources within the country. We advocate for all sectors to export using our own wheat. In the Southeastern Anatolia Region, farmers, having shifted away from cotton in recent years, are now turning to durum wheat. However, global durum wheat prices are facing a downward trend, largely due to the depreciation of Canada’s currency and the country’s economic challenges, as Canada remains the world’s largest durum wheat producer.”