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 sector development and assess the current state of the milk industry on site.

During these visits, evaluation meetings held with milk producers, producer organizations and cooperatives, dairy industry establishments, and civil society representatives operating in the region provided on-site observation of the sector's current situation. All stages from production processes to marketing and supply-demand balance were examined at the local level, and important findings were reached regarding the sector's strengths and openness 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 Balıkesir Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Directorate with the participation of authorities from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Livestock General Directorate. 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 cheese diversity and emphasized the need to bring these traditional values into the economy through branding. Speaking at the meeting, Prof. Dr. Hami Alpas, Vice Chair of the National Milk Council Research and Advisory Board, highlighted issues such as information pollution, food safety, food defense, and the importance of packaged products. Alpas also shared solution proposals regarding structural problems with participants. The Project Development and Infrastructure Department Head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Livestock General Directorate provided information on the new livestock support model. The official, responding to participants' questions, conveyed the model's implementation details and stated their goal of making the support processes function more effectively. Climate change was one of the important topics of the meeting. Prof. Dr. Gürsel Dellal, Faculty Member at Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture, addressed the impacts of global climate change on the livestock sector. Dellal emphasized the importance of preventive measures against problems that could arise 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 the measures taken.