Turkey’s domestic seed
production is not sufficient to meet the local demand,
despite the privatization of the industry in the 1980s and
continued government support. The development of the
industry is expected to be better after several new laws and
regulations, which have been prepared by the Government of
Turkey (GOT), are adopted over the next few years. Turkey
imported over USD 65 million of seeds in 2004 with the
European Union supplying the majority of seeds to Turkey.
The United States exported USD 9.1 million worth of seeds to
Turkey in 2004, primarily corn, vegetable and fodder crop
seeds. Seed exports decreased during the first nine months
in 2005. In general, the duty is zero for seed imports,
except for flower and ornamental seeds imported for
commercial purposes.
The Turkish government has
drafted a new Seed Law, which would take into consideration
recent developments in the industry, particularly the law on
protection of plant varieties. The main purpose of this Law
is to give the private sector more control of the seed
industry. According to the draft Law, an independent Turkish
Seed Industry Union will be established and given a
significant portion of the duties and responsibilities
currently under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Affairs (MARA). Industry representatives expect the law to
be adopted in 2006.
The GOT is also developing a National Biosafety Law (NBL).
Most of the technical work on the draft NBL has been
completed. However, the law still must undergo several
reviews before it is sent to the Prime Ministry. The law
will focus on the production, use, importation and
distribution of genetically modified materials. For seeds,
the Law will provide a framework on the production and
marketing of transgenic seeds should be possible. Currently,
the GOT does not permit planting of bio-engineered seeds.
Turkey did adopt a law on
Protection of New Plant Varieties in 2004. The primary goal
of this Law was to provide protection to any company that
develops new plant varieties. Industry sources hope that
this protection will also encourage domestic companies to
expand their funding on research and development. According
to the industry sources, the affect of this Law on the
sector will be limited until the new Seed Law is adopted.
Utilization of certified seed
has not developed well in Turkey, even though the GOT
supports their use. However, certified seed use is expected
to increase in the future in response to growing demand. The
growth is expected especially for greenhouse vegetable,
corn, sunflower, and fodder crop seeds.
Several U.S. seed companies,
including Monsanto, Pioneer, Delta Pine, and Seminis are
well established in Turkey. These companies generally import
parent seed for local propagation
and sale both for Turkey and export market.
