Our country has very advantageous potential for soil, climate and water conditions and agricultural activities. On the other hand, our producers' reluctance to apply technical production methods from their ancestors and adherence to technical services caused some problems in our agricultural production. In particular, unconscious pesticide studies have caused us to experience residual problems in agricultural product exports.
The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock issued a Regulation on Good Agricultural Practices in 2004. This regulation has been issued for the purpose of agricultural production that does not harm the environment, human and animal health. It also has provisions for the protection of natural resources and for monitoring and sustaining agricultural activities. The aim is to provide reliable agricultural products to the market.
It is of great importance for the future of our country that the conditions of Good Agricultural Practices in our country are accepted and applied correctly by all sector personnel, especially our agricultural consultants. As a result of the developments in Good Agricultural Practices, our fruit and vegetable production will come first and all of our agricultural production and exports will have the chance to compete in the domestic and foreign market fields. While safe products are supplied to the foreign market, it will be ensured that the people of our country consume reliable and healthy products. It will be possible for our country to achieve the required progress on Good Agricultural Practices by informing and training the producers and agricultural engineers working in the profession.
The regulation also covers the general rules of good agricultural practices and the control and certification system. In addition, the duties and responsibilities of the authorities, producer organizations, control and certification bodies, auditors and internal auditors that are parties to agricultural production are also included.
According to general rules, Good Agricultural Practices are subject to compliance criteria and control points set by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. Inspection and certification activities shall be carried out by this Ministry or the institutions authorized by the Ministry. These institutions are determined according to the General Criteria for TS EN 45011 Certification Bodies that make Product Certification. According to Good Agricultural Practices, both the nutrient requirement of the grown product and the quality of the soil should be determined by analysis and it must be done in accordance with fertilization and spraying and suggestions. The Good Agricultural Practice system aims to use as few pesticides as possible.
It is essential that agricultural production is aimed at meeting the needs and all applications are recorded. These records include all the details of the product, the type of pesticide and fertilizer used, why it was applied, when it was applied, how much it was used, who decided to apply it, and the level of competence, how long the product would be collected, the need for irrigation and water quality.
In this way, the principles of being traceable and sustainable in agriculture are fulfilled. In the meantime, the analysis of the product and the results should be recorded. These analyzes should be carried out in authorized laboratories.
