Spain and Turkey strengthen agri-food collaboration in research, technology, and rural development

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, and the Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, have given new impetus to bilateral cooperation in agriculture between the two countries and strengthened collaboration in strategic areas for the future of the sector: agricultural research and technology, agricultural insurance, and the promotion of rural development, with a focus on the necessary generational renewal.

Planas participated in the second meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2013 between the two countries, held in Ankara, Turkey. The Spanish minister underscored the value of this bilateral relationship and highlighted "the commitment to advancing towards a sustainable, innovative, and profitable agricultural model, especially at a time when global challenges are testing the resilience of our societies".

In addition to the progress in agri-food research, innovation, and technology, the meeting provided an opportunity to review the full range of cooperation areas outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which include crop and livestock production, marketing and agricultural technologies, rural development, as well as the modernisation of irrigation systems and digitalisation. Both delegations agreed on the importance of continuing to promote these areas to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the agricultural sector in both countries.

New opportunities for collaboration

In the scientific field, Spain and Turkey have identified new opportunities for collaboration, particularly in areas related to climate adaptation and plant breeding. Spain and Turkey will promote new joint lines of work in plant breeding, agronomic trials, and gene editing applied to agriculture, key technologies for developing more resilient crops.

Luis Planas emphasised that agricultural research is shaping the future of the sector and must reach the fields. "We must guarantee the proper transfer of knowledge to farmers and ranchers", he stressed.

Agricultural insurance

The meeting also provided an opportunity to delve deeper into cooperation on agricultural insurance, an area in which Spain boasts one of the world's most advanced public-private systems, a benchmark for the Turkish model, which draws in part on the Spanish experience. Turkey has also shown its willingness to make further progress in technical cooperation with Spain to strengthen its own insurance system.

In this regard, Planas noted that "agricultural insurance is a key tool for strengthening the sector's resilience to climate change" and affirmed that "Spain is open to sharing its experience to contribute to the improvement and diversification of both systems".

Following this second follow-up meeting, both countries expressed their commitment to continue collaborating on building more sustainable, innovative, and future-proof food systems.

Non official translation