Özel Röportaj - Ziraat Bankası Genel Müdürü Alpaslan Çakar | 12 Haziran 2025

First of all, I congratulate you. It was a really great summit. The fact that agriculture is discussed on every platform is very valuable. The pandemic showed us that access to safe and sustainable food is vital. Turkey has great potential in agriculture; we are first in Europe and among the top 10 countries in the world. The President had a great expression: 'Agriculture is as valuable as the defense industry.' It's true. Through these summits, we discuss how to produce with higher added value, compete nationally, reach the right markets, and plan better. Ziraat Bank is happy to host this summit because we have been financing agriculture for 161 years. On the 28th of this month, we are organizing the fourth Agriculture Ecosystem Summit at the Haliç Congress Center. Agriculture must be discussed continuously. Agriculture's share in Turkey's GDP is around 6%. As a banking sector, we provide 7% of our loans to agriculture. Ziraat Bank's main mission is agriculture; we have provided about 700 billion TL in loans to around 1 million customers. Our market share in Turkey is 70%. Ziraat Bank is the bank that provides the most credit to the sector; 20% of all TL corporate loans in Turkey are from Ziraat Bank. Agriculture remains our top priority and main mission.

We attach great importance to a few things in agriculture from a sustainability perspective. First, the participation of women and youth in agriculture is crucial. We have packages to encourage them, including interest reductions and incentives under the subsidy decree. In 2024 alone, we provided 119 billion TL in agricultural loans to young people to make them producers. Second, climate change and drought are critical. We promote modern pressurized irrigation systems for efficient water use. Scale economy is also important for profitability and competitiveness. Third, we focus on women and youth. Ziraat Bank's sustainability declaration and national contribution declaration guide our processes. We implemented a solar energy project in Kayseri Bünyan, and now all our headquarters towers, branches, and training centers meet their electricity consumption from renewable energy. We will continue to promote modern irrigation systems and electric agricultural mechanization to reduce carbon footprint. This year, we secured a $1.75 billion syndication loan, the largest in Turkey, themed on sustainable agriculture, and we are making it available to farmers. Ziraat Bank has always stood by producers and farmers and will continue to do so.