Photo: © FAO/Onur Çakmak

– Within the scope of IYAFA 2022, a new training project, “Small in Scale, Big in Value”, led by Metro Turkey, with technical support from FAO and in cooperation with the Muğla Trout Breeders Association, aims to ensure that aquatic products are sustainable, healthy, safe and nutritious as a part of global and local food systems. The project seeks to encourage small and traditional family fisheries and aquaculture to adopt sustainable production methods, thereby creating economic value added and contributing to healthy diets based on fish and aquaculture consumption.

The project started on Wednesday, 29 June, field visits to trout farms at Seydikemer in Muğla Province, and continued on Thursday, 30 June with training sessions given by Metro Turkey on “Food Safety and Quality in Fish and Fishery Products” and “Social Compliance in Trout Value Chain”. The training is designed to provide technical support to small trout producers in Fethiye and contribute to their sustainability.

The 50-person training programme, which involved the participation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and other relevant local stakeholders, was opened by Tulay Özel, Group Manager of Metro Türkiye Sustainability and Quality Assurance. “At Metro Türkiye, we have put sustainability at the centre of our business for over 30 years, carrying out pioneering work in the sector – from traceability to animal welfare, from preventing food waste to sustainable fishing and supporting local producers and products”, she said. “Since 2010, sustainable fisheries have been at the centre of our procurement policy, with a view to protecting fish stocks and marine species. We support small and traditional family fisheries to sustain their contributions to human welfare and the establishment of healthy food systems through responsible and sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture resources. As a result of technical and consultancy support, training and field visits carried out within the scope of this project, sustainably raised trout should be on the shelves of Metro Turkey stores by the end of the year. Through this project we can provide commercial motivations for our producers, offer them support and ensure their long-term sustainability.”

The opening session continued with a speech by Hüseyin Yıldırım of the Muğla Trout Breeders Association, who emphasized the importance of the project for making the traditional Sunday dish of small-scale family businesses suitable for the wider market and facilitating their entry into food supply chains that stretch from producers to consumers.

Mustafa Altuğ Atalay, General Manager of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture, emphasized that Türkiye ranks first in sea bass and sea bream production among European Union countries, and second in the world in trout, but consumes less than it produces. “This important project will enable the general public to more easily access and consume trout more easily”, he explained.

The final speech was given by Viorel Gutu, Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Turkey,who noted that small-scale traditional fishing showcases the potential and diversity of aquaculture, fishers and all those who labour in the fishing industry – as well as other stakeholders. He continued: “Turkey is quite rich in terms of habitat diversity. With 32 000 producers engaged in marine fishing and 10 500 in aquaculture, the total production of aquaculture in Turkey, for 2020, was about 786 000 tonnes. Indeed, Turkey has become one of the most remarkable aquaculture producers in the Mediterranean region thanks to steady increase in aquaculture production over more than a decade.”

“The support given to small-scale traditional fisheries and aquaculture in Turkey can have a considerable impact due to the importance of their role in the sector”, explained Gutu. “91 percent of fishing boats in Turkey are classified as small-scale according to national legislation. Furthermore, fishers and aquaculture sector employees are among the most vulnerable people in the world to environmental decimation, shocks, disasters and climate change. But in spite of this, small-scale traditional fisheries and aquaculture are generally not involved in decision-making and policy-making processes across the sector.”

Viorel Gutu finished his speech by affirming FAO’s happiness to support this joint project, which has been carried out within the scope of IYAFA 2022, to raise awareness of this important issue.

At the end of the training given by Metro Türkiye and FAO technical experts, all the producers received participation certificates.