Gokhan Ergocun
11 March 2019•Update: 11 March 2019
ISTANBUL
Turkey’s trade group for flour producers is taking the Eurasian helm of an international millers’ association, it announced on Monday.
By taking the Eurasia region administration of the International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM), the Turkish Flour Industrialists' Federation (TFIF) took responsibility for $55 billion of the total world wheat market ($180 billion) and $2.5 billion of all flour trade in the world ($5 billion), said Gunhan Ulusoy, head of the TFIF.
"The Eurasia region became the most important region in recent years in wheat production and flour trade," he told a press conference in Istanbul.
IAOM's Euroasia region represents 30 percent of the world's wheat production (737 million tons) and over half of the flour trade in the world, with 32 countries whose total GDP is $7.1 trillion and population around 2 billion.
Ulusoy stressed that the region includes some of the world’s largest wheat-producing countries such as Russia (71.6 million tons), Ukraine (25 million tons), Turkey (19 million tons) and Kazakhstan (16 million tons).
"Turkey succeeded in this area thanks to government support," he said.
He added that 12,000-year-old wheat -- perhaps the world's first -- has its origins in the famed ancient site of Gobeklitepe in Turkey's southeastern province of Sanliurfa.
The IAOM, founded in 1896, represents around 70 countries worldwide and focuses on improving profitability and efficiency in the milling and wheat sectors.
The TFIF, founded in 2005, represents 90 percent of the Turkish flour sector with over 400 members in Turkey.
Turkey has been the world’s top flour exporter for the last six years, and it hopes to export flour to over 100 countries.
It is also in the world top 10 for wheat production, with 19 million tons.
