Three new rice varieties have been introduced to agriculture in Edirne.

In Edirne, where more than half of the country’s rice needs are met, three new rice varieties have been introduced to agriculture.

At the Field Day event held in the garden of the Thrace Agricultural Institute in Edirne, a symbolic rice harvest was performed. The newly developed varieties ‘Kırbıyık’, ‘Nehir’, and ‘Lazer’ were also introduced at the event. Starting with a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem, Edirne Governor Yunus Sezer, who spoke at the event, stated that Edirne will be a locomotive and pioneering province in planned agricultural production in every sense.

“When we think of rice, Edirne comes to mind”
Governor Sezer emphasized that especially when rice is mentioned, Edirne is the first place that comes to mind and noted that more than 40% of rice production in Turkey takes place in Edirne’s lands. He indicated that the city is a locomotive city in rice production and that conscious farming is practiced. Governor Sezer said, “What makes us happy is that our farmers are open to innovation and are constantly thinking about how to benefit from these innovations and how to increase our productivity. The solidarity among our farmers, their cooperation with institutions, and their openness to innovation, as I mentioned earlier, is promising for the future of agriculture. In this regard, when we look at new agricultural policies, we are entering a period of planned agricultural production. In this planned agricultural production, Edirne will be a locomotive and pioneering province in every sense.”

“Irrigation is done far above the Turkish average”
Governor Sezer pointed out that irrigation is being done far above the Turkish average, stating that nearly 50% of the total land can be irrigated. He mentioned that they quickly implemented small irrigation systems, stating that about 20 irrigation system tenders have been held and completed this year. Emphasizing that the Çömlek Köyü Dam is a project that could be considered the GAP of the Thrace Region, Governor Sezer stated that it has been included in the priority investment program. He mentioned that this year, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Presidency, many issues in irrigation projects have been resolved and expressed that they will continue to address these issues next year. Governor Sezer highlighted that the Meriç irrigation systems in Edirne have been completed this year, and next year, 7,800 hectares of land, including agricultural research areas, will benefit from the closed irrigation system.

Thrace Agricultural Research Institute Director Assoc. Dr. Adnan Tülek stated that since the establishment of the institute, a total of 204 varieties, primarily rice, sunflower, and wheat, have been developed and registered in various product groups. Tülek noted that rice is one of the important product groups and reported that three new rice varieties were developed by the Institute that are high-yield and disease-resistant. He highlighted that in the trials conducted in the institute’s experimental garden, the varieties “Kırbıyık”, “Nehir”, and “Lazer” stood out with their particularly high yields.

After the speeches, a symbolic harvest was conducted, and the varieties grown in the experimental garden were examined.