Outdoor eight-hectare event 18 August – 20 August 2021 in Konya-Ankara in Turkey – 3500 visitors with access to trials plots, exhibits and machinery demonstrations from 50 exhibitors
(DLG) Last week 18 August – 20 August 2021 the second edition of DLG’s “Potato Days Turkey”, the only trade fair in Turkey dedicated to potato cultivation, successfully took place again as an in-person event with locally adapted hygiene concepts. Over 50 exhibitors at the eight-hectare outdoor event offered the 3,500 specialized potato visitors from Turkey and neighbouring regions, the opportunity to closely inspect the 25 large-sized potato crop trial plots that presented innovations in seeds, fertilizers, crop protection, machinery and implements alongside machinery demonstrations and field booths.
Following the hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic, Potato Days Turkey has been successfully relaunched this year, which is positive for potato farmers who rely on technical advances in order to progress their farming practices but are often dependent on that information being personally demonstrated to them at events like Potato Days Turkey.
At the outdoor event last week, visitors were able to inspect first hand a range of new potato breeds planted late April and grown in large 400 square meter trial plots as well as compare and see for themselves the varying effects of herbicides and fertilizers on the potato crop in the trial field. From soil preparation to harvest, visitors also had close access to the machinery and equipment working the field, a major attraction since live demonstrations of a famer’s future equipment is a vital part of the buying and decision process.
The organisers of the trade fair, DLG Fuarcilik, employed the same proven hygiene concept it had developed and implemented for its DLG trade fair “International Field Days Turkey” held in Turkey in May earlier this year. The concept, which included social distancing measures and a new and convenient grounds entry mechanism, allowed visitors to inspect the technical equipment and crop as well as enjoy the trade fair that offered networking within the bounds of the exhibition concept.
“This summer, the international trade fair business of the DLG (German Agricultural Society) is picking up speed again following relaxation of the restrictions related to the pandemic. With Potato Days Turkey successfully concluding this month, the international DLG trade fair business has had a successful restart in the wake of the postponement caused by the pandemic,” said Tobias Eichberg, Managing Director of DLG’s Exhibitions Department.
“In numerous conversations, exhibitors and visitors have expressed their satisfaction at finally being able to meet again in person. For a farmer anywhere in the world, it is crucial to be able to experience and inspect the product or piece of machinery before buying. This is just one of the key reasons why in-person events are so important in the agricultural sector,” concluded Eichberg.
International agricultural knowledge and best practices are important to share which is also the remit of the DLG, bringing people together at its events and exhibitions. For example the event last week was attended by the Uzbekistan Potato Union and Azerbaijcan Ministry of Agriculture and Russian Potato Union as well as visitors from Egypt and Iraq. The event was also attended by Dr. Peter Bohlen, Food and Agriculture Consellor, German Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.
A range of international potato organization supported the trade fair with their competence and know-how: TC Niğde Potato Research Institute, Eti Maden İşletmeleri, Fertilizer Producers Importers and Exporters Association, Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute, Konya SoilWater and Desertification Research Institute Directorate, Selçuk University Faculty of Agriculture, Niğde Ömer Halis Demir University as well as the Turkish Potato Producers Association.
The premium partner for the event was Same Deutz-Fahr, APH Group and Rivulis Eurodrip.
Driven by demand from the national potato industry in Turkey, Potato Days Turkey successfully premiered in 2019 with the objective of presenting current strategies and solutions for production and processing in the region. The next Potato Days Turkey will take place in 2023.
The next DLG exhibition that takes place in Turkey is Tarim ve Teknoloji Gunleri and is just days away, held 1-4 September in Karaevli, Tekirdagan. Tarim ve Teknoloji Gunleri, the third DLG exhibition in Turkey in 2021, is an anual outdoor exibition for crop production and technologies for both arable and livestock farming.
