2008-09-14
Turkey Set to Become 'Organic Food Basket' of Europe. Istanbul Today, September 14, 2008. 'A rising demand from European markets has led Turkey to rapidly boost its organic agriculture. With the sector's growth rates multiplying year after year, experts agree that the country could soon take a leading role among the world's most important organic food suppliers... Farmers have [traditionally] tilled the soil of Anatolia, [with] knowledge and labor-intensive, but high-quality and chemical-free food for local markets and these small, environmentally friendly farms have always, in effect, been organic... [But] 'eco-farming' starts in every country first with the introduction of official regulations and, therefore, in Turkey it is still a relative newcomer... With the adoption of the first regulations of organic agriculture in 1994, a first step to harmonizing Turkish laws with the requirements of the European markets, a real boost was seen in organic farming... Currently 14,000 farmers are working organically, providing over 420,000 tons of goods and managing 190,000 hectares -- about 1 percent of Turkey's total agricultural area."

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