EUROPEAN-SEED.COM I EUROPEAN SEED I 13 modified plant varieties in Turkey. Regarding the Biosafety Law, another point that relates to our sector is the rule of “0 (zero) tolerance” to “adventitious presence” applicable for seeds. Although there is no regulation on new breeding techniques in Turkey yet, several insti- tutions and universities are carrying out research and development activities on this topic. POTENTIAL OF THE TURKISH SEED SECTOR Thanks to the consequences of the pol- icies implemented in the Turkish seed sector during the last few years, the sub- sidies provided for the production and use of certified seeds, and also thanks to the development of the private sector, certified seed production increases reg- ularly each year. In this regard, with a production level of 957,000 tons of certi- fied seeds, a capacity of sales of seeds to more than 70 countries, and a market size of more than $1 billion USD, the Turkish seed industry is among the top 10 seed countries in the world as of 2016. The certified seeds produced in the country are mostly consumed in the domestic market while some of them are exported (mainly certified seeds of maize, sunflower, cotton and some vege- tables). Seed exports by Turkey reached $154 million USD by the end of 2016. Seed imports, in turn, were worth $202 million USD by 2016. WHY IS TSÜAB SO IMPORTANT FOR THE TURKISH SEED SECTOR? It is no doubt that TSÜAB and its mem- bers have played a major role in the evo- lution of the Turkish seed sector to its actual situation today. Founded in line with the provisions of the Seed Law, TSÜAB is a professional organization with a public legal personality, and all seed industrialists and producers operating in Turkey have to be a member of TSÜAB. As of September 2017, TSÜAB has 805 members. The main fields of activity of member companies of TSÜAB are plant breeding and variety development; execu- tion of new plant variety adaptation and performance tests; registration or regis- try of new varieties; execution of variety protection applications; maintenance of varieties; production, processing, pack- aging, marketing, and distribution of pre-basic, basic and certified seeds; and importation and exportation of seeds. The table above gives distribution of TSÜAB members by species of the seeds they produce. According to the table, more than half (408 companies) of the member companies produce cereal seeds, which are followed by the group of pro- ducers of fresh vegetable seeds, with 219 companies. Grass and flower seed produc- ers, in turn, rank last with a total of 38 companies. ORGANS AND WORKING GROUPS According to the statute of TSÜAB, the sub-union has four components: 1) General Assembly, 2) Executive Board, 3) Supervisory Board, and 4) Disciplinary Board. While the General Assembly of TSÜAB gathers each year, general assem- blies with elections are held once every two years. In these general assemblies, TSÜAB members, who have only one vote, elect members of the executive, supervi- sory, and disciplinary boards. The execu- tive board gathers once a month, whereas the supervisory board gathers at least twice a year. As of September 2017, the secretariat employs a total of 12 staff, including the Secretary General; six employees, includ- ing the head of the technical unit, in the main service units; one legal advisor in the legal office, and four employees in auxiliary service units. TSÜAB has Working Groups (WG), which have been carrying out activities since the foundation of the Sub-Union. Working groups, which hold as many meetings as they need in a year, discuss the problems of the industry and report their views and recommendations for solu- tions to the executive board. The execu- tive board and secretariat of TSÜAB have authority and responsibility to protect any right and interest of TSÜAB members, contribute to solutions to any problems among members, to contact with Turkish MoFAL and other national and interna- tional institutions, and to act on behalf of the Turkish seed industry in all issues and topics involving TSÜAB members, includ- ing administrative practices and prepara- tion of relevant legislation. OUR CHALLENGE… The TSÜAB is at the center of the Turkish seed industry. Based on the support of its members, TSÜAB is aware of the fact that it is one of the most important pro- fessional organizations in the Turkish seed industry. TSÜAB has so far made every effort to ensure that Turkish seed industrialists achieve a well-deserved position in the top of international seed market and will continue to make such an effort. This is because TSÜAB knows very well that Turkey has a seed industry with vast potential and has the capacity to conduct most comprehensive analyses and create solutions. In this respect, it is ready for any collaboration with not only the stakeholders in Turkey but also the international ones. Editor’s Note: Ahmet Müfit Engiz is Secretary-General of TSÜAB since March 2017. Before that he served seven years as the General Secretary of the Turkey Seed Industry Association (TÜRKTED). This article has been condensed for print. Please go to European-Seed.com to read the full version. www.tsuab.org.tr/ Table 1: Number of TSÜAB members per crop group. Groups of species No of members* Cereals (Wheat-Barley-Oat-Rice-Rye etc.) 408 Industrial plants (Sunflower-Cotton-Maize-Soy-Sugar Beet etc.) 145 Meadow-Pasture and Fodder Crops (Alfalfa-Vetch-Trefoil etc.) 119 Vegetables (Tomato-Pepper-Cucumber-Melon-Watermelon-Eggplant etc.) 219 Edible Legumes (Chickpea-Lentil-Bean etc.) 73 Grass and Flower 38 Potato 157 * A member company/enterprise may operate in production of more than one species group.