Miller Magazine Issue: 144 December 2021

74 INTERVIEW MILLER / december 2021 Wheat, for which the whole world has kept its eyes peeled particularly after the pandemic, is almost rattling the economies. The product, of which price increases rapidly due to drought and governments' panic buying, is one of the factors that enhances the global food in- flation. The future of wheat, which is the raw material of bread, pasta, biscuits, and other bakery products, is one of the most curious subjects. We discussed the state of wheat with Hasan Hacıhaliloğlu, the CEO of Taban Gıda, the leader of the Turkish wheat supply market with a 20% market share. We listened to the future targets of Taban Gıda, the shining star of the industry which was established in 2016 and managed to rank in the top 200 companies of Turkey, and his recommendations for solving the current problems in the market. The answers of Mr. Hacıhaliloğlu, CEO of Taban Gıda, which plans to become an important link in the chain with its investment plans in wheat production and supply, are as follows: Mr. Hacıhaliloğlu, first of all, thank you very much for taking your time for this interview. Can you give us information about the activities of Taban Gıda, one of the leading wheat supply companies in Turkey? We supply grain, particularly wheat, feed ingredients, and oilseeds, from many markets of the world. Since 2016, we have been growing in the right markets with the right product, right price policy, and service quality. We carry out demand- and need-oriented transit trade to many countries of the world with many product groups. We are the private sector leader in the imported wheat supply market with a market share of 20 percent in Tur- key, and we are among the top 200 in the "500 Largest Companies of Turkey" rankings. Could you express your thoughts on the increased raw material prices due to the pandemic and exchange rates? How do you tackle these prices? As in the rest of the world, agricultural commodity pric- es in Turkey are at the highest levels of recent years. Be- sides, the depreciation of the Turkish lira causes the sec- tor stakeholders in our country to be even more affected by this situation. TMO is taking various steps to prevent further increases in the prices of bread, pasta, and feed. The most important of the measures it has taken is the raw material sales, which it offers to the market at almost “Regarding the strategic products, let's bring all the necessary steps into action in a planned manner, in order to produce enough products at least for ourselves. Let's put aside searching for solutions after the fat is in the fire and seek proactive agricultural policies that will solve the problems before they occur. Wheat policies need to be managed correctly not to lose the power we have gained in flour and pasta exports and to develop and support exports.” Wheat policies have to be managed correctly not to lose flour and pasta export markets Hasan Hacıhaliloğlu CEO Taban Gıda Interview: Mustafa Yağmurlu