Turkey Has 50,000 Cooperatives with Nearly 5 Million Members

Erdem Ak, General Director of Hasat Türk and EU Cooperatives Expert, the 10th guest of the TÜGİS Webinar Series, stated that there are approximately 50,000 cooperatives and nearly 5 million cooperative members in Turkey, adding that cooperatives could play an important role in the sustainable supply structure of the food industry.

The Turkish Food Manufacturers Association (TÜGİS) addressed the topic of cooperatives in the 10th edition of its Webinar Series, in which current developments and future vision of the food sector are discussed with expert names in the field.

The guest of the broadcast, held under the title "A Human-Centred Path: Cooperatives," was Erdem Ak, General Director of Hasat Türk and EU Cooperatives Expert. In the program, the role of cooperatives within the food system was evaluated under the headings of production, sustainability, food safety, supply chain, economies of scale, and marketing.

"Cooperatives are natural supply partners of the food industry"
Defining cooperatives as "socially-based economic enterprises," Erdem Ak stated that these structures must be managed not only with social objectives but also with business processes such as production, finance, marketing, and human resources.

Drawing attention to the fact that cooperatives in Turkey have an extensive network of partnerships and activities, Ak noted that cooperatives offer an important advantage in the reliable supply of raw materials that the food industry needs.

Ak said, "Cooperatives are natural supply partners providing raw materials to the food industry. Cooperatives that develop their scale and institutional capacity can become direct players in the industry in production, marketing, trade, and export processes. Successful examples worldwide show that cooperatives can transform their products into brands and added value. Cooperatives bring together many small producers around common standards, and these structures can make important contributions to the food industry in terms of supply continuity, quality standards, and traceability."

"Food safety starts before production"
Stating that food safety is a process that starts before the production stage, not only during production, Ak said cooperatives could assume critical responsibilities at this point.

Drawing attention to the importance of procuring basic inputs such as feed, seed, and fertilizer in accordance with certain standards, Ak noted that establishing common quality and inspection systems during the production process provides advantages for both producers and manufacturers.

Ak stated, "Cooperatives can assume complementary responsibilities from before production to the product reaching the consumer. For the manufacturer, this structure means standardised, traceable, and reliable raw materials."

"Cooperatives contribute to the sustainability of the food system"
Stating that sustainability must be evaluated together with its economic, social, and environmental dimensions, Ak said cooperatives play an important role in protecting local production capacity and enabling producers to maintain their economic existence.

Emphasizing that cooperatives hold strategic value for the future of the food system, Ak said, "Sustainability is not just about maintaining the activities of a single enterprise. Social, economic, and environmental conditions must be considered together. Cooperatives play an important role in ensuring this balance."

Emphasis on economies of scale in agricultural cooperatives
Noting that one of the fundamental problems of agricultural and food cooperatives in Turkey is scale, Ak stated that stronger models with greater production and marketing capacity need to be developed instead of small structures.

Pointing out that organization at the village, district, or basin level could yield stronger results, Ak assessed that "Producers with the same product pattern coming together within a broader structure can increase production volume, establish quality standards, and overcome marketing problems."

Noting that as scale increases, the purchasing power of cooperatives also increases, Ak stated that inputs such as feed, seed, and fertilizer can be procured on more favorable terms.

"Grant support can be an initial lifeline but sustainability is achieved through planning"
Emphasizing that cooperatives must be managed as economic enterprises, Ak drew attention to the importance of pre-planning production, costs, human resources, and sales channels for long-term success.

Ak said, "Grant support can be a lifeline initially. However, commercial activity cannot be sustained on grants and donations alone. For cooperatives to sustain themselves through their own economic activities, they must generate regular income, plan, and operate with business discipline."

"Food manufacturers should collaborate more with cooperatives"
Stating that the food industry needs to develop stronger partnerships with cooperatives, Erdem Ak expressed that producers and manufacturers are two important elements of the same value chain.

Ak said, "Those engaged in primary agricultural production and the manufacturers who transform these products into food are part of the same system. Closer contact between food manufacturers and cooperatives, development of joint projects, and creation of partnership models will make important contributions to both the sector and our country."