While the coronavirus outbreak paralyzed the world in every sense, "food" was one of the items whose importance was best understood in this period.
The difficulty in accessing food with the outbreak showed how critical the food issue is.
Although the "strategic importance" of access to food is being talked about all over the world, millions of tons of food are still being thrown away "untouched" in our country.
MILLIONS OF TONS ARE WASTE DURING THE MARKETING STAGE
Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Agriculture Dean Prof. Dr. Muharrem Özcan, said that about 53 million tons of garden products manufacturing market with a preparation of at least 5 percent of the economic value of lost production in Turkey and in the sales process.
Özcan said, "In other words, roughly 2.5 million tons of products are wasted at the marketing stage. "If we consider the kilogram value of the products as 1 lira, it means that there is a loss of 2.5 billion liras due to errors in the marketing stages."
Although schools in Turkey's "self-sustaining agricultural country," is also to be taught, as well as the growing population and the farmer's field and to abandon production, suggesting a possible shortage in food production.
Resorting to import as the "only solution" in response to a rise in prices for any product also accelerates the trouble of the producing segment and quitting agriculture. "Agricultural land" Turkey is no longer able to consume fruits and vegetables cheaply citizens "arrangement with sales" may be possible. As a matter of fact, "cheap vegetable and fruit queues" coming from different parts of the country recently confirm this. Despite this, the enormous amount of waste, valued at 2.5 billion liras, causes concern for the future.
Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMÜ) Faculty of Agriculture Dean Prof. Dr. Muharrem Özcan said that the marketing and sales of vegetables and fruits should be standardized. Özcan pointed out that the obligation to give fruits and vegetables by the seller in the market brought within the scope of the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic measures is important in terms of preventing product losses and spoilage, emphasizing that this will also make a significant contribution to the reduction of the amount of products that go to waste. Underlining that throwing away products produced with great labor is not an acceptable situation in terms of humanity, Özcan said, “Standardization is very important in order to use selective product sales as safe sales technique. It is important to set an example in terms of features such as quality, length and weight of the product.”
STANDARDIZATION SHOULD BE APPLIED ALSO IN THE DOMESTIC MARKET
Özcan stated that the standardization applied in the exported products should now be made compulsory for the products offered to the domestic market, and that the consumer blaming the retailer, the retailer's shopkeepers and the shopkeepers on the producer will no longer be blamed for defective and rotten products.
THERE IS A LOSS OF 2.5 BILLION LIRA
Referring to the importance of standardization, Özcan said: "As long as these are not provided, it will be inevitable to experience disputes between the seller and the buyer. In our country, which has a production of approximately 53 million tons of garden products, at least 5 percent of this production loses its economic value during the preparation and sales stages. In other words, roughly 2.5 million tons of products go to waste at the marketing stage. If we consider the kilogram value of the products as 1 lira, it means that there is a loss of 2.5 billion liras due to errors in the marketing stages."