Strategic Steps Taken for the Future of the Dairy Sector

The National Milk Council Research and Advisory Board conducted comprehensive field visits in Bursa and Balıkesir to contribute to the development of the sector and evaluate the current state of the milk industry on the ground.

During these visits, assessment meetings held with milk producers, producer organizations and cooperatives, milk industry establishments and civil society representatives operating in the region provided first-hand observation of the sector's current condition. From production processes to marketing and supply-demand balance, all stages were examined at the local level, yielding significant findings on the sector's strengths and areas open to development.

Strategic Steps Taken for the Future of the Milk Sector
Following field visits in Balıkesir, a comprehensive sector meeting was held under the auspices of the Balıkesir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, with the participation of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's General Directorate of Livestock. The meeting was opened by Prof. Dr. Nevzat Artık, Chair of the National Milk Council Research and Advisory Board. Prof. Dr. Artık drew attention to Turkey's rich diversity of cheese varieties, emphasizing the need to bring these traditional values into the economy through branding.

Prof. Dr. Hami Alpas, Vice Chair of the National Milk Council Research and Advisory Board, addressed issues including information pollution, food safety, food defense and the importance of packaged products. Alpas also shared solution proposals regarding structural problems with participants. The Head of the Project Development and Infrastructure Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's General Directorate of Livestock provided information on the new livestock support model at the meeting. The official answered participants' questions, conveying implementation details of the model and noting their aim for more effective operation of support processes.

Climate change was among the important topics of the meeting. Prof. Dr. Gürsel Dellal, Faculty Member at Ankara University's Faculty of Agriculture, addressed the impacts of global climate change on the livestock sector. Dellal emphasized the importance of preventive measures against problems that may occur in many areas from feed production to animal health.

National Milk Council Chair Hamit Can delivered the closing remarks of the meeting, drawing attention to the importance of sustainable policies for improving milk quality. Hamit Can noted that milk prices are evaluated by the National Milk Council at three-month intervals and that cost and price studies are conducted accordingly. He also answered questions from the sector, providing detailed information on pricing policies, raw milk supply-demand balance and measures taken.