Dairy products are produced in the factory established with a 50% grant support.

In Bitlis, operator Vacip Demir produces dairy products in a factory established in 2019 with 50% grant support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

The factory, located in the Bitlis Organized Industrial Zone (OSB), produces yogurt, cream, butter, and 5 types of cheese using milk sourced from Bitlis, Muş, Bingöl, Elazığ, Iğdır, and sometimes due to the milk shortage in the region, from Konya, Kayseri, and Sivas. The factory, established with a 50% grant support, makes significant contributions to the local economy through dairy production while also positively impacting milk producers in the region.

Vacip Demir stated that they established production facilities on an area of 1,800 square meters in the Organized Industrial Zone (OSB) and benefited from the Rural Development Investments Support Program while setting up the facility, adding that they also contribute to employment. Demir said, “We have been serving in the Bitlis region since 1997. Our first factory establishment started in 1997 in a small industrial site. Later, as the organized industrial zone began, we established this factory in 2019. Our closed area serves as a milk processing facility with a total of 1,800 square meters. We receive an average of milk daily from Bitlis, Muş, Bingöl, Elazığ, and Iğdır. Sometimes, due to the milk shortage in the region, we can also source milk from the provinces of Konya, Kayseri, and Sivas without breaking the cold chain. We use 5 tons of this milk for yogurt production. The remaining 7 tons are used in the production of 5 types of cheese. These cheeses are generally sold in markets, public institutions, and military areas. In our factory, we produce village-style cheese, white cheese, herb cheese, tin-cultured cheese, and most importantly, we produce İzmir tulum cheese, which is the first in Bitlis and the Eastern Anatolia Region. We sell İzmir tulum cheese to Balıkesir, Bursa, İzmir, and Manisa. In addition to these, we also produce products like butter, ayran, and cream. These products are placed on shelves in the Eastern and Southeastern provinces as a dealer system. In the production area, we have 18 personnel working in shifts. We established our factory with the rural development project launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 2019. We benefited from a 50% grant. At that time, we received half of the project value of 6 million TL as a grant. Additionally, we have staff incentives supported by the government.”