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Noting that they anticipate the Izmir Agricultural Technology Center (ITTM) to become operational in the first quarter of 2024, ITB Secretary General Dr. Erçin Güdücü stated that the center will also enable the development of technologies to meet different needs in different regions of our country, a major agricultural producer.
The establishment of the Izmir Agricultural Technology Center (ITTM), which combines agriculture with technology and was implemented under the leadership of the Izmir Commodity Exchange (ITB) in partnership with universities and public institutions and organizations in the city, is nearing completion.
Dr. Erçin Güdücü, Secretary General of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who has been at the helm of the project since day one, explaining ITTM and its advantages to entrepreneurs at every meeting and fair he attends both domestically and internationally. Güdücü emphasized that the impact of the agricultural technologies developed here will not be limited to Izmir. Dr. Güdücü said, “Turkey is a major agricultural producer. Our center will also enable the development of technologies to meet different needs in different regions of our country. The new production methods, localized technologies, and new cost-reducing products and services that will emerge here will support the increase of our agricultural sector's global competitiveness.”
Dr. Güdücü stated that construction of the ITTM service building in Menemen is ongoing, saying, “We are conducting final checks to ensure that the physical infrastructure needs of ITTM stakeholders will be met. Barring any major setbacks, we will take over our building within a few weeks and organize details such as common area furniture, internet infrastructure, and security systems. Meanwhile, the selection of the startups that will conduct research and development at ITTM will be completed. Afterward, ITTM will be ready for operation. We anticipate that ITTM will be operational in the first quarter of 2024.”
Dr. Güdücü stated that the system they are working on allows them to make matches between stakeholder groups with different needs. He added, “We are working on a system that will allow us to classify the entrepreneurs, companies, agricultural producers, agricultural machinery and equipment manufacturers, agricultural processors, researchers, and agricultural engineers we meet at events we organize with various stakeholders according to their stakeholder profiles, the technology areas they use, and the agricultural products they work with.”
Provides testing opportunity in real-life conditions
Güdücü noted that thanks to the laboratories and equipment within ITTM, entrepreneurs can focus their financial resources on developing solutions rather than investing in infrastructure. He continued, “From an entrepreneurial perspective, ITTM supports the development and commercialization of agricultural technologies by providing them with the physical environment, infrastructure, and business connections necessary for information technology-based R&D activities in the agricultural sector. Furthermore, due to its TEKMER status, its entrepreneurs can benefit from various tax deductions and incentives provided under Law No. 5746 on Support for Research, Development, and Design Activities. Furthermore, by providing agricultural lands and application areas, it enables the testing of developed technologies under real-life conditions, on real products, and with real users. This helps entrepreneurs evaluate the effectiveness and real-world performance of their products in agricultural applications and make necessary improvements.”
There is also a remote membership model
Dr. Güdücü stated that the ITTM aims to develop agricultural technologies together with the private sector, the public sector, researchers, and the agricultural producers and processors who use these solutions. He said, “In addition to entrepreneurs and businesses with technology-focused business ideas/projects that involve research and development and product/process/service innovation focused on information technologies in agriculture, companies that can provide support for R&D activities to these entrepreneurs and businesses, researchers, and agricultural and agricultural machinery manufacturers are also welcome to join our center. We offer closed offices, open offices with fixed desks, and open offices with shared desks to meet the diverse needs of different companies. Finally, we also have a remote membership model that allows stakeholders interested in agricultural technologies in areas far from ITTM to participate in the ITTM ecosystem and benefit from training, consulting, networking, and other activities.”
Dr. Güdücü also touched upon the contributions that İTTM will make to urban and national agriculture, stating: “İzmir, in addition to its agricultural potential, is a very important city for our country with its focus on science, young population, and its status as a port city. These are all characteristics we would seek if we were choosing a capital for agricultural innovation. As the İzmir Commodity Exchange, when designing the İTTM structure, we took care to collaborate with other institutions and organizations in the region and to complement various projects. For example, the specialized agricultural organized industrial zones in Dikili, Bergama, Kınık, and Bayındır, which are being established jointly by the region's major umbrella organizations, will increase the clustering of plant and animal production and processing facilities in İzmir, and the R&D and innovation ecosystem that İTTM will provide will be integral.”
We gathered our business partners in two groups
Dr. Güdücü stated that the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry are the most important supporters of İTTM, providing grant support and physical infrastructure. He said, “The Ministry of Industry and Technology supports our center through the İzmir Development Agency Guided Project Support Program and the KOSGEB TEKMER Support Program. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry also provides İTTM with its current location and opens up the agricultural production areas, physical infrastructure, research expertise, and agricultural databases of the institutes within TAGEM for the work to be carried out at İTTM.”
Great interest from the business world
Güdücü stated that İTTM has been met with great interest from all segments of society since its inception. He said, “We have signed and continue to sign partnership agreements with very important organizations for the Turkish agriculture and food sector. It's impossible to list all of them here, but we have significant partnerships from agricultural machinery organizations like TARMAKBİR and Türk Traktör; from food businesses, Tat Gıda, Akcelep Gıda, and Konfrut Gıda; from the software sector, Başarsoft, Logo Yazılım, and Siskon Yazılım; from universities, İzmir Institute of Technology, Yaşar University, and Ege University; and from civil society, the Software Industrialists' Association and the Inclusive Growth Association. This capital structure and business partners provide İTTM with access to a broad network and resources, providing it with the opportunity to implement significant projects in the field of agricultural technologies.”
The first international collaboration was with Japan
Güdücü also provided information about the collaboration with Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), saying, “70 percent of our freshwater resources are used for agricultural irrigation. This not only consumes a significant amount of natural resources for our country and the world, but also represents a significant cost for producers. To this end, we have launched an academic research project investigating the impact of variable-rate irrigation on crop yields in cotton, a strategic crop for our region. We plan to work with researchers at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Ege University, and the International Agricultural Research and Education Center (UTAEM) on this project, which we plan to last three seasons. In the first year, we collected crop and soil data based on irrigation levels using remote sensing methods. Our goal for the second year is to implement variable-rate irrigation by upgrading existing irrigation equipment to smart systems and compare the data we collect. We will then present our findings to other enterprises to help them develop commercializable products and services in this area. This will not only reduce production costs for producers but also reduce one of the negative environmental impacts of agriculture. The Inclusive Growth Association is supporting us in this study.”
We gained TEKMER status
Dr. Güdücü stated that they are nearly finished with the physical infrastructure work they have created for the ITTM with the support of the Izmir Development Agency. He said, “After completing the finishing touches in a few months, we will be welcoming the first startups. While the infrastructure work is ongoing, our application to KOSGEB for Technology Development Center (TEKMER) status has been approved under the KOSGEB TEKMER Support Program, granting us the right to use the TEKMER name. This will enable entrepreneurs participating in the ITTM to receive various tax deductions and incentives. At the same time, KOSGEB experts will enable entrepreneurs to quickly receive information about and benefit from KOSGEB support. While work on the physical working environment of the ITTM, located within the International Agricultural Research and Training Center (UTAEM) in Menemen, Izmir, an institute of the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, is ongoing, we are also building a database for Turkey's agricultural technologies ecosystem.”
It will contribute to the digital transformation of the agricultural sector
Güdücü stated that ITTM offers numerous opportunities to the agricultural sector and its stakeholders, saying, “ITTM aims to support the stronger integration of information and communication technologies into agriculture to make it sustainable, competitive, and productive. By playing a key role in the transition to modern technology-based practices in agricultural production, it will contribute to the digital transformation of the agricultural sector. This will create an environment for farmers and agricultural businesses to use digital technologies for more efficient and effective production. For example, a cotton producer could come to ITTM, observe the increased yields of a product developed for irrigation solutions, and then decide to implement it.”
