Vision and Missions of the
Turkey’s Seed Sector
Kazım Abak
2nd International Workshop on Seed Business
Antalya 2-3 December 2013
Agriculture
It is a startegic and indispensible sector in
both developed and developing countries
• Primary source of food
• Primary source of fibre
• Raw material source for energy (bio-fuel)
• Locomotive of economical development
• Strategically important for food and energy security
• Sociologically crucial
New trends in global agricultural sector
• Developments in production technologies
• Increase in input use and input costs
• Very high increase in food prices
• Increase in international crop trade
• Rise in the consumer’s power of paying
• Increase in quality expectations
• Higher demand to bio-energy crops
New modern production technologies
More than 20% of the Turkish vegetable production
is through under cover cultivation !
New trends in global agricultural sector
• Developments in production technologies
• Increase in input use and input costs
• Very high increase in food prices
• Increase in international crop trade
• Rise in the consumer’s power of paying
• Increase in quality expectations
• Higher demand to bio-energy crops
• Increase in input use and imput
Grafted seedling production for vegetable growing
New trends in global agricultural sector
• Developments in production technologies
• Increase in input use and input costs
• Very high increase in food prices
• Increase in international crop trade
• Rise in the consumer’s power of paying
• Increase in quality expectations
• Higher demand to bio-energy crops
Price increases in food and non-food
products
New trends in global agricultural sector
• Developments in production technologies
• Increase in input use and input costs
• Very high increase in food prices
• Increase in international crop trade
• Rise in the consumer’s power of paying
• Increase in quality expectations
• Higher demand to bio-energy crops
Increase in demande of quality
New trends in global agricultural sector
• Developments in production technologies
• Increase in input use and input costs
• Very high increase in food prices
• Increase in international crop trade
• Rise in the consumer’s power of paying
• Increase in quality expectations
• Higher demand to bio-energy crops
Higher demand to bio-energy crops
Seeds
• The basis of agriculture
• The most ancient input in agriculture
• The most important input in agriculture
• A properly produced high quality seed, per se,
can provide 50% yield increase
• It is impossible to practice modern agriculture to obtain
high yield and good quality crop without using high
quality seeds
New trends in seed business
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•
•
•
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Rises in the production and use of certified seeds
Growth in international seed trade
Increase in the accessibilty to new cultivars by growers
Increase in the use of F1 hybrides (new crops)
Increase in the rate of variety shift (shortening the life)
Increase in demand to the varieties having special
agronomical and technological traits
• Increase in the use of transgenic varieties
• Decrease in number of companies, but increase
in their sizes
Global international seed trade
million USD
12000
10000
8000
6000
million USD
4000
2000
0
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2015
2010
2012
New trends in seed business
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rises in the production and use of certified seeds
Growth in international seed trade
Increase in the accessibilty to new cultivars by growers
Increase in demand to the varieties having special
agronomical and technological traits
Increase in the rate of variety shift (shortening the life)
Increase in the use of F1 hybrides (new crops)
Increase in the use of transgenic varieties
Decrease in number of companies, but increase
in their sizes
New trends in seed business
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rises in the production and use of certified seeds
Growth in international seed trade
Increase in the accessibilty to new cultivars by growers
Increase in demand to the varieties having special
agronomical and technological traits
Increase in the rate of variety shift (shortening the life)
Increase in the use of F1 hybrides (new crops)
Increase in the use of transgenic varieties
Decrease in number of companies, but increase
in their sizes
New trends in seed business
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rises in the production and use of certified seeds
Growth in international seed trade
Increase in the accessibilty to new cultivars by growers
Increase in the use of F1 hybrides (new crops)
Increase in the rate of variety shift (shortening the life)
Increase in demand to the varieties having special
agronomical and technological traits
• Increase in the use of transgenic varieties
• Decrease in number of companies, but increase
in their sizes
Status in transgenic varieties
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•
•
•
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•
Countries producing transgenic
Total population of this countries
Number of growers
Annual planting area
Accumulative planted area
Annual increase rate
Annual production value
28 (8+20)
4 billion (60%)
17.3 million
170 million ha
1.5 billion ha
6-10%
98.2 billion USD
New trends in seed business
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rises in the production and use of certified seeds
Growth in international seed trade
Increase in the accessibilty to new cultivars by growers
Increase in the use of F1 hybrides (new crops)
Increase in the rate of variety shift (shortening the life)
Increase in demand to the varieties having special
agronomical and technological traits
• Increase in the use of transgenic varieties
• Decrease in number of companies, but increase
in their sizes
Global structure of seed business
(Howard 2009)
Shares of the companies in World seed
trade
Monsanto/Seminis
23%
Diğerleri
32%
DLF
2%
DuPont
15%
Takii
2%
Bayer Crop Science
2%
Sakata
2% Land o'Lake
3%
KWS AG
4%
Syngenta
9%
Limagraine
6%
Expected events for near future
• Growth in world economy
• Globalization both for consumers and producers
• Increase in certified seed use and seed market
• Increase in international trade (imputs and products)
• Increase in the use of hybrid cultivars
• Increase in the use of transgenic cultivars
• Increase in social and environmental responsibility
• Change of climatic conditions (global warming)
Problems coming with global warming
- Reduction in the amount of usable water/drought
- Salinity
- Arisal of new pests and disease
- Changes in crop pattern
Importance of R&D in seed business
• Seed industry is the sector in which R&D spending is the
highist
• For industry share of the R&D spending must be at least
2%
• In EU R&D spending is up to 20% of the total turnover
• In these countries percentage of R&D employees in total
employees is 25% (12500/52000)
(ESA Scholte, 2013)
R&D in seed business
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•
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Breeding
Registration
Production
Certification
Market preparation
Marketing
Storage
Goals for future breeding programs
• More resistance to pest and diseases
• Tolerance to abiotic stress factors (low and high
temperatures, salinity, druoght, high moisture,
nutrient deficiency etc)
• More tolerance to herbicides
• Improvement of crop quality
• Better nutritive values
• Development of male sterility
Needs for R&D for seed business
• Vision
• Well formed breeders and assistant personel
• Plant material
• Money
• Collobaration-organization
Research institutions
• Universities
• Public Research Instituts
• National Private Research Organizations
• Private Research Units
• International Research Organizations
R&D in private sector
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•
•
•
30% of companies has research activity
35% of them has only adaptation trials
35% has also plant breeding programs
They develope new OP and hybrids and sell in
domestic and foreign markets
• More breeding programs on vegetables than field
crops
• More and more collobaration with TÜBİTAK and
universities
In public research instituts
• Public institutes spread across the country
• Works are focused on plant breeding
• Well researchers staff exists but not sufficient
• Activities on vegetables are more dynamic than the field
crops in recent years
In universities
• Well formed qualified staff existance
• In some of them very good ınfrastructure
• Cooperation with private companies is insufficient
• Assistant staff (engineer, laborant, technicien, research
assistant) is insufficient
• Very heavy lecture occupation, no enough time for R&D
R&D activities and financing responsibilities of
public and private sectors in plant breeding
Basic
Research
Applied
Research
Line
Preparation
Variety
Development
Variety
Release
Market
Growth
Private sector
Public sector
Before commercialization
(PUBLIC SECTOR)
Commercialization
(PRIVATE SECTOR)
Three important things
• Easy access to plant genetic resources
• Utilization of biotechnology for more effective
and fast plant breeding
• Qualified breeder and assistant staff
Educational activities towards
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Associate personnel (Associate degree)
Technical personnel (BS/BA)
Ms and Doctoral degrees
On-duty continuing education
Conclusion
• In Turkey, the share allocated to R & D activities in total
turnover is quite small for seed sector
• Increase the effectiveness in the international arena
without R&D investment is not possible
• Number of company is very high, financial situation of
small firms is not sufficient for R&D
• Inter-institution and/or inter-company collaboration is
imperative
• Professionals organization (union) must establish its own
R & D center
• This center can also be used for educational purposes
Thank you