Miller Magazine Issue: 148 April 2022

92 INTERVIEW MILLER / APRIL 2022 servative-free, home-like flavors such as various soups, bulgur and rice pilafs, stews, meat dishes, and compotes are ready to eat within 2 minutes. The meals we produce in our production fa- cilities with the state of the art technology and quality standards meet the consumers in a hygienic way as they are cooked with- out additives such as colorants and preservatives. Thanks to the new generation BPA-free packaging, foods can be stored up for up to 36 months without losing their taste and nutritional elements. And it does not require a cold chain. The fact that our packaging takes up only 1/10 of the space compared to glass and tin cans provides a significant advantage with suffi- cient small storage space, while also protecting the environment by reducing the carbon emissions spent during logistics. We have also been deemed worthy of an award in the 2021 NielsenIQ BASES Breakthrough Innovations, in the “Food” cate- gory with our ‘Soup’s On’ product range. Lastly, we were award- ed in the “Most Innovative Convenience Food” category at the Food and Gastronomy Innovation Summit and Food Plus Awards held by the Research Center for Food, Beverage and Agricultur- al Policies (GIFT). So, are you working on launching innovative products? What kind of work do you have in your R&D center? In our R&D Center, product studies with added functionality are being carried out as well as the studies in line with our goal of expanding our ready-to-eat food portfolio. Considering the Ministry of Health’s Turkey nutrition and health research, social deficiencies and needs are analyzed with the support of a dieti- tian, and products are being designed in this regard. In addition to the development of functional foods, increasing the number of gluten-free and vegan products is among the targets for the upcoming period. What is Yayla Agro’s target for the upcoming period? With reference to the strategic importance of agriculture and food, our primary goals are to transform the potential and advan- tages of our country into value-added products and export them to the world and to become one of the few brands in our field on a global scale. Our country has a huge agricultural potential in every aspect. Our country is the homeland of pulses and is a gene center. We also have a privileged place as a country that consumes le- gumes the most in the world and makes them a part of its cui- sine culture. At the same time, we are in a position that manages the world’s pulses with its exporter and entrepreneurial industry. In world pulses production, our country ranks 20th in terms of cultivation area and 14th in production volume in the world. We believe that 2022 will also be a productive year for the sector. If no agricultural drought in April and May, we expect an increase in sowing and thus production of pulses, especially red lentils and chickpeas. The cruciality of food and agriculture has been better un- derstood during the pandemic process. So what should Tur- key do to take full advantage of its agricultural potential? Food is a very strategic subject for countries and this fact has become clearer with the process of the COVID-19 pandemic.