Minister Yumaklı: Ensuring food security is possible with justice and conscience

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı participated in the "Food Security and Sustainable Food Production" panel at the Turkey-Africa Business and Economy Forum held at the Istanbul Congress Center. Speaking at the forum, attended by ministers, deputy ministers, high-ranking public officials, and businesspeople from 54 African countries and Türkiye, Minister Yumaklı said, "The United Nations chose this year's 'Food Day' theme as 'Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future.' The current picture demonstrates how right this theme is. Today, unfortunately, 673 million people face hunger, and 2.6 billion people face great difficulty accessing sufficient and safe food. I want to emphasize that these figures are not mere statistics; behind each of them lies a human life. Food security is not just a problem and a responsibility of one country, but of all humanity."

Minister Yumaklı said, "We're talking about climate change, we're talking about wars. We're talking about economic fluctuations, and we're talking about epidemics, which, unfortunately, are also important topics for exacerbating these problems. On the other hand, we're also unfortunately experiencing other adverse situations, such as the adult obesity rate rising to 15.8 percent and food loss and waste rising to 2.3 billion tons globally. Therefore, ensuring food security is no longer just about increasing production; it's also about reducing food waste, ensuring fair distribution, accessibility, sustainability, and building resilient systems. It's also important to emphasize that food security isn't just about production; it's possible with justice and conscience."

"WE HAVE DELIVERED AID TO GAZA AND WE CONTINUE TO DO SO."

Minister Yumaklı said, “The man-made hunger crisis in Gaza was a test of conscience for all of us. During this process, Turkey sent a clear message to the world, using all legal means on every platform and with the resolute stance of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. That message is: ‘Access to food is not a privilege; it is a fundamental human right.’” With this awareness, Turkey has delivered aid to Gaza throughout this process and continues to do so. Wherever in the world, Turkey has striven to be there immediately if there is a person facing hunger. We believe that protecting food is protecting humanity. As Turkey, we are deepening our agricultural cooperation with African countries within the framework of a just and equal partnership. In recent years, we have implemented concrete projects in rural development, irrigation infrastructure, seed support, and farmer training in countries such as Somalia, Senegal, Niger, Sudan, and Morocco. Through TİKA, we have provided agricultural machinery, greenhouse cultivation practices, and food safety training. Sustaining this cooperation, strengthening logistics infrastructure, investment, and financial mechanisms, and developing solutions tailored to the African market are of paramount importance. We continue to work on these issues. The Humanitarian Aid and Strategic Stockpile Center, to be established in cooperation with our Ministry and the World Food Programme, will have the capacity to rapidly respond to the urgent needs not only of Türkiye but also of regions such as Africa and the Middle East. In April 2025, the Humanitarian Aid and Strategic Stockpile Center, hosted by our Ministry in cooperation with IFAD and supported by 11 countries, will be launched. We held a meeting titled "Increasing agricultural productivity under water-scarce conditions through South-South and Tripartite Cooperation," with the participation of the European Union. This meeting laid an important foundation for sharing knowledge and experience in the areas of effective water resource management, adaptation to climate change, and increasing resilience in agricultural production. Within the framework of our activities in this context, we will continue to maintain and expand our joint projects with African countries.

I would like to emphasize a statement made by our President here: "We refuse to accept the artificial borders drawn between us, and we are firmly committed to the goal of leaving no friend's door untouched, no heart unhealed, no country uncollaborated in Africa." The discussions held here today should not only be an exchange of ideas, but also a starting point for concrete beginnings. I invite you all to shoulder this responsibility together, to heed today's call, to take action, and to work together with more empathy than ever before."

DHA

Reporter: News Center