President Erdoğan announced that the quota for starch-based sugars (SBS) would be reduced from 5 per cent to 2.5 per cent. As it is known, last year right after the decision of privatization of the factories, the quota of starch-based sugars was reduced from 10 per cent to 5 per cent for the first time. After 5 per cent, reducing the quota again was a big surprise for the industry. Neither the beet side nor the starch producers expected such a thing.
With the news we have published for years, we drew attention that there is a quota implementation on starch-based sugars far above the country's need, and that this circumstance damage the beet production and public sugar factories.
I would like to thank esteemed President Erdoğan for his last decision. Even after 16 years, he corrected a mistake. However, I need to point out that, if the wrong privatization policy against sugar factories will not been abandoned, the quota reducing of starch-based sugars to 2.5 per cent will not have importance for the country on its own. Therefore, this national decision against starch-based sugars has to be reinforced by restructuring the public factories, which are not sold, as in the world examples.
If this will not be done and in the case of repeating the similar mistakes in privatization made last year for the 15 sugar factories within the body of Turkseker, the quota reduction made by considering public health today will have no meaning, because no one knows what we will encounter in the sugar factories, which were transferred to the private sector, after 5 years.
The golden rule of the sustainability of production of sugar beet is absolutely to make the farmer and worker partner of the production process, and the state should control the farmers and workers who are involved in the production process solidly.
If the quota of starch-based sugar is reduced for the health of public; this model applied in the world should be applied in Turkey without delay. But if the quotas have been reduced to increase the sugar quotas of the companies that buy the privatized sugar factories, then it is doom and gloom!
I don’t want regard it as possible. However, the government is now going to go in for a complete sincerity test about sugar. The sincerity of the government about sugar beet production and public health will show up by whether implementing the model towards sugar factories.