Attending the Anuga food fair, which kicked off on Saturday and will continue through Wednesday in Cologne, Eker participated in a number of meetings on the sidelines of the fair. On his last day at the fair, the minister also had a meeting with Ilse Aigner, the German federal minister for food, agriculture and consumer protection.
In an assessment of his talk with the German minister, Eker noted that the two countries have reached an agreement to cooperate in the fields of agricultural development, stockbreeding, vegetable production and working against drought. He said the second meeting of a joint agriculture committee, which was first organized in Turkey in 2008, will take place in Germany in January 2010. They also talked about the progress of the committee during the meeting, he added.
The Turkish agriculture sector has become an asset for the country's integration with the EU, thanks to recent developments in the sector, the minister remarked, adding that the rich biodiversity in Turkey is an important opportunity for Turkey to improve its relations with the EU. The Turkish agriculture sector is open to any investment plans from European countries, the minister added.
Turkey is the official partner country of the Anuga fair for the first time since 1983. This year, some 190 firms are exhibiting their wares in Cologne.
Eker said this overwhelming participation is important for Turkey in that it shows the point the Turkish food industry has reached and pointed out that Turkish firms' performance is fairly successful. Regarding the impact of the global financial crisis on the agriculture sector, Eker noted the Turkish agricultural sector grew despite the crisis unlike most other countries.
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