The Director General of Cooperatives visited Marmarabirlik.

Director General of Craftsmen, Artisans and Cooperatives, Taha Enes Şener visited Marmarabirlik. Accompanied by Deputy Director General of Craftsmen, Artisans and Cooperatives, Seçkin Cenkış, Department Heads Gülsüm Gözde Ayanoğlu and Çilem Çatalbaş, Şener met with the Board Chairman Hidamet Asa and Board Members during his visit to Marmarabirlik. A presentation introducing Marmarabirlik, one of the exemplary cooperative organizations in Turkey, was given to Taha Enes Şener and his colleagues regarding the domestic and international market share, product range, investments made, support provided to producers, and corporate structure of the organization. Expressing his satisfaction in visiting Marmarabirlik, Taha Enes Şener stated, ‘We wanted to see the operations with our colleagues, identify the needs and desires. In this respect, it was a very productive meeting. I congratulate Marmarabirlik for being the first cooperative included in the Turguality Brand Support Program. Both in terms of corporate and economic aspects, as well as for Turguality, Marmarabirlik has set a good example for our other cooperatives.’ Emphasizing the importance of Agricultural Sales Cooperatives among cooperatives, Taha Enes Şener stated that Agricultural Sales Cooperatives and Unions will continue to be supported. Regarding the amendments made in Law No. 1163, he stated, ‘With the new issue implemented, our cooperatives and unions will become more transparent.’ Highlighting that Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat always supports the producer organization Marmarabirlik, Hidamet Asa provided information to Director General of Cooperatives Taha Enes Şener about the challenges faced by cooperatives. Emphasizing the importance of providing financial support to unions, Asa stated, ‘Cooperatives, which play a major role in agricultural production and are increasingly recognized, have a structure that regulates the market. Olives, which are among the strategic products in our country, have the highest stock cost among food products. In the past two years, you sell the product you bought the previous year, but you cannot replace it with the same amount. Due to the economic difficulties and inflationary environment globally, cooperatives should not be victimized. It is not possible to buy products and keep the wheel turning by using high amounts of credit with these interest rates. Therefore, cheap credit should be provided to Unions. Cheap credit is a prerequisite for producer unions to regulate markets. If our cooperatives, which have thousands of members, are strong, the producers will also be strong, production will increase, and the welfare level of our farmers will also rise.’ After mutual discussions and evaluations, Taha Enes Şener and his team toured the Marmarabirlik Integrated Facilities and received information about the production processes. Taha Enes Şener, who also examined the world’s first and only licensed olive depot established within Marmarabirlik in 2015, stated that this facility with a total capacity of 5 thousand tons is a great opportunity for olive producers.