Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Hisarcıklıoğlu attended the opening ceremony of the Food, Grain and Milk Products Analysis Laboratory, which was established within the Van Commodity Exchange.

Hisarcıklıoğlu started by praying for the grace of the Allah upon the martyrs lost in Afrin's Operation Olive Branch.

Stating that Van is Turkey’s the gateway to the Middle East, but also stands at the center of agriculture and animal husbandry, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that the city is also progressing determinedly in tourism.

Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized Van dynamic structure in the economy, “Looking at the number of companies opened last year, employment increase is much higher in Van than the national average. This shows that Van has hope for the future. Our task is to invest in this city. TOBB is trying to bring the necessary services to Van. With the support of the Customs and Commerce Minister and government, we are modernizing the Kapıköy Customs Gate. I know very well the potential of livestock and agriculture in Van. We have the potential to satisfy the needs of both ourselves and our surrounding geography.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu, stating that food, agriculture and animal husbandry should never be neglected, said, “Allah gave us great lands; we are the 7^th in the world in terms of the arable land. Global population grows each year an amount equal to Turkey’s population. World population and people’s prosperity is increasing. They will be consumer. Water and food are paramount important for survival. We must utilize the potentials of our assets.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stressed that 2bn people live in our neighboring region and imports 500bn USD of food, agriculture and livestock products. Considering the products with the highest price increase in 10 years in the world are food, agriculture and livestock products, Hisarcıklıoğlu urged keeping a hold on these sectors.

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they plan to establish Turkey Specialized Products Exchanges which has been passed by the Council of Ministers, that producers could sell their goods in line with global prices.

Hisarcıklıoğlu, pointed out that geographical marker for Van cheese has been register and is now on its way to becoming a brand, concluded his speech with, “Our economy, as a matter of course, has problems but we have the will and the means to overcome them, so long as we maintain our unity, the problems cannot be solved by infighting. We can think differently but we will unite our differences under a singular goal. We will not alienate others because of their views or we will lose them. We have no one but each other. Without peace, there is no trade, without trade, there is no wealth, and if we want to be rich, the only way is through trade.”

- “There will be no banned pastures in 2018”

Van Governor and Mayor Deputy Mayor Murat Zorluoğlu emphasized that they had a lively and fertile year in Van for a few years.

Stating that over 500,000 Iranian tourists had visited Van in the previous year Zorluoğlu said, “We expect even more in 2018.” Stressing the importance of livestock husbandry for Van, the Governor said, “Hopefully there will be no banned pastures and with the support of our government, we will attain performance levels on par with 70s and 80s in livestock husbandry.”