TURKISH AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY INDUSTRY

Innovative design capability and cost effective premium quality production pave the way for agricultural machinery industry in Turkey to become a prominent player in the global marketplace. Along with expanding agricultural domestic market, the industry meets the sophisticated machinery needs of Turkey, Central Asia, the Near East and North Africa. Hence, high potential growth capacity of industry attracts major multinational manufacturers, which increasingly regard Turkey a strategic destination for their international production network.

The agricultural machinery sector is a sub-division of Turkey’s machinery industry, which is listed among the 10 largest markets in Europe in machinery. The sector transforms the agriculture production through increasing the efficiency of employment in agricultural production, curbing costs, and supporting product quality and productivity. The agricultural machinery industry consists of 2,800 small‐ to medium‐sized companies, 320 of which are organized under the Turkish Association of Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers (TARMAKBİR). Companies are located mainly in major cities of Turkey such as Istanbul, Bursa, Manisa, Aydın, Konya, Ankara, Balıkesir and Izmir. The industry is capable of producing farm tractors; single‐axe hoes; mower machines; soil‐preparing/earth‐moving and seed‐preparing machinery; seed drilling, sowing, seeding, transplanting machinery; plant protection and irrigation/sprinkling tools and equipment; harvesting/reaping machines; threshing, drying, throwing, cleaning, classifying, processing machinery; machinery and equipment for animal products, among others. Turkey is also home to six major tractor manufacturers.

Exports in the sector is showing an increasing trend. Main destinations for agricultural machinery exports (excluding tractors) are the US, Romania, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan, Sudan, Iran and Azerbaijan; and the US, Sudan, Morocco, South Africa, Australia and Mexico for exports of tractors. The manufactures keeps close eye on quality through consistent renovation and training. The presence of strong automotive industry also generates synergies and cross fertilization in agricultural machinery industry. Being aware of the importance of ISO total quality certificates, agricultural machinery manufacturers adopt state of art total quality management techniques to lead the way. Since the beginning 2002 it is also obligatory to fulfill CE Mark requirements in order to sell products in the domestic and overseas markets.

Turkey’s agricultural machinery sector is expected to further develop with the development and completion of Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), a milestone agricultural initiative. The basic development objective of GAP is to transform Southeastern Anatolia into an “Export Center based on Agriculture” and widen the irrigation schemes in an area over 1.7 million hectares. Due to these developments, the agricultural machinery industry is expected to expand its clout in the region with quality, product range and cost effective production capability.