Objectives

Cooperation in the field of agriculture is one of the important areas of the OTS, which serves to enhancement of food security and nutrition, promotes modern and innovative sustainable agricultural practices, contributes to the socio-economic development, and facilitates trade in agricultural products among the OTS Member States.

Mechanisms

Since the establishment of the Organization, a total of 3 ministerial and 4 working group meetings on agricultural cooperation have been organized under the umbrella of the OTS, which drives the agricultural cooperation in line with the key strategic documents "Turkic World Vision - 2040" and the "OTS Strategy for 2022-2026".

Sub-Working Groups established under the Working Group on Agricultural Cooperation

The five sub-working groups established under the Working Group on Agricultural Cooperation of the OTS, aims to enhance cooperation in this field. The Member States also designated coordinator country(ies) for each sub-group (as shown below) that will carry out technical meetings to implement the activities outlined in the Action Plan, create necessary mechanisms for this purpose and report the OTS Secretariat of the outcomes of each meeting.

• Sub-group on Research and Development– Türkiye;
• Sub-group on Agricultural Economic Affairs– Azerbaijan;
• Sub-group on New Agricultural Technologies and Techniques– Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan;
• Sub-group on Cooperation in Seeds and Saplings– Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan;
• Sub-group on Animal Husbandry, Fishery and Aquaculture – Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Drought Prevention Institute

The Drought Prevention Institute of the OTS was established with a Memorandum signed at the 9^th Summit of the OTS held in Samarkand on 11 November 2022. The main objectives of the Institute are as following:

• Identifying and executing multilateral development projects in the OTS Member and Observer States helping to mitigate the affected countries’ exposure to the increasingly negative effects of drought and the uncontrolled economic changes stemming from climate change;
• Cooperating with key institutions and international organizations in Member and Observer States to ensure collaboration on various aspects of water management, irrigation and drought prevention;
• Applying Hungary’s know-how and experience on water management and drought prevention for offering solutions in countering water scarcity;
• Extending the projects to markets outside the countries of the OTS, promoting the realization of the projects’ export potential, as well as exploring financing opportunities needed for their implementation.

As a starting point, the Board of the Drought Prevention Institute agreed to study the project proposal received from the Kyrgyz side concerning afforestation of desert lands in the Batken region with black saxaul. In this regard, a field trip with the participation of academicians and experts from the OTS was organized on 25-31 August 2024 to the border area of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in order to identify project concepts, asses local needs and engage with local experts. 

Framework

The legal foundation for agricultural cooperation within the OTS is built on several key documents:

• “Communiqué of the First Meeting of Ministers in Charge of Agriculture of the Organization of Turkic States” which presents the general framework for the future collaboration and activities in agricultural field, as well as establishes sub-groups within the Working Group on Agriculture Cooperation, signed on 4 July 2022 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan;
• “Communiqué of the Second Meeting of Ministers in Charge of Agriculture of the Organization of Turkic States” signed on 26 September 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan;
• “Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Drought Prevention Institute of the Organization of Turkic States” signed on 11 November 2022 in Samarkand;
• “Communique of the Meeting held with the participation of Member and Observer States of the Organization of the Turkic States (OTS) on the Establishment of the OTS Digital Agro Data Platform” prepared in the Guba City of the Republic of Azerbaijan on 16 July 2024;
• “Communique of the Meeting held with the participation of Member and Observer States of the Organization of the Turkic States (OTS) on “OTS-Made” production” prepared in the Guba City of the Republic of Azerbaijan on 16 July 2024.

Projects

The OTS is working on several practical projects aimed at further strengthening agricultural ties among its members.

• Turkic Agro-Forums

The Turkic Agro-Forums was initiated with the purpose of creation of a single discussion platform on key issues of agricultural cooperation in the Turkic region, promoting the interaction of business circles in expanding trade cooperation, implementing joint projects and attracting investments and introducing advanced technologies in agriculture, as well as discussion of the best world practices to increase the investment attractiveness of the agricultural sector in the OTS Member and Observer States. The First Turkic Agro-Forum was held on 4 July 2022 in Tashkent, within the framework of the 1st Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture, which aimed at creating a single discussion platform on key issues of agricultural cooperation in the Turkic region and promoting the interaction of business circles in expanding trade in agriculture among the OTS Member and Observer States. The 2^nd Turkic Agro-Business Forum was convened on 25-26 September 2023 in Baku and the 3^rd Turkic Agro-Business Forum in Taraz, Kazakhstan on 20 March 2024.

• Digital Agro Data Platform

This project aims to create a digital platform of the OTS Member States, where all agricultural statistics and informative compilation, fact recordings and best practices will be assembled under one platform. This will foster flexible and result oriented inter-actions, partnerships and on spot cooperation among Member States via exchange of information on advance technologies and best practices. In this regard, on 16 July 2024, in the city of Guba, which was declared the agricultural capital of the OTS, a meeting on the creation of the Digital Agro Data Platform of the OTS was held and at the end of the event, a Communique was drawn up, which acted as the Minutes of the meeting on the creation of the Digital Agro Data Platform.

• "OTS Made" brand

The project represents a strategic initiative to promote regional cooperation and collaboration among the OTS Member States by creating a “OTS Made” brand, which will promote joint initiatives in agricultural production, packaging, and showcase the quality and diversity of agricultural products originating from the OTS region. Initiated by the Azerbaijani side during the 2^nd meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the OTS held on 26 September 2023 in Baku, the project aims to create a unified and trustworthy brand identity for agricultural products originating from Member States that will help to distinguish OTS products in the global marketplace and enhance their visibility and competitiveness. In this regard, on 18 July 2024 in the city of Guba city of Azerbaijan a meeting on the creation of the "OTS Made" brand was held and at the end of the event, a Communique was drawn up, which acted as the Minutes of the meeting on the establishment of the "OTS Made" brand.

• Regional Food Reserve System

This project was initiated by the Uzbek side to ensure food security in the Turkic region. Through creation of a regional food reserve system within the OTS, it is expected to address issues of hunger, malnutrition, and food scarcity through coordinated efforts, as well as to enhance local food production, and ensure adequate food supplies during emergencies.

In addition, Uzbek side proposed in the initial stage to establish a legal framework and adopt a multilateral agreement within the framework of the OTS to create an effective food supply system based on the needs of the global and domestic markets and the production capacities of the Turkic States. With the aim of development of a multilateral agreement on food security among the governments of the OTS Member States, the Uzbek side provided the draft “Food Security Agreement” under the OTS, which is currently under consideration of the Member States.

• Common Agricultural Insurance System

The project aims to create a common agricultural insurance system among OTS Member States based on the experience of the Turkish Agricultural Insurance Pool Management Company (TARSIM).

The possibility of creation common agricultural insurance system was discussed during the 3^rd Working Group meeting on Agriculture Cooperation of the OTS by the Members States. In this regard, the Turkish side prepared and submitted the draft “Concept on the establishment of common agricultural insurance system among OTS Member States”, which is under consideration of the Member States.

• Other Projects

So far, three meetings of ministers in charge of agriculture of the OTS was held. Therefore, many projects in the agricultural field are at their initial stage.  Among these projects the following ones could be highlighted:

• Establishment of an institutionalized seed cooperation within the OTS / formation of the OTS Seed Association. This project will facilitate the free movement of plant varieties and seeds throughout the region, promote the cross-border cooperation between the seed industry and simplify farmers’ access to seeds, enhance market-oriented seed production and supply security;
• Collaboration with the Islamic Countries Standards and Metrology Institute on "Halal Certification" within the OTS. By implementing this project the Turkic States can strengthen consumer confidence in the authenticity and integrity of Halal products and open doors to new markets and trade opportunities for the Turkic States, as well as provide a strategic way to enhance market competitiveness, ensure Halal integrity, and capitalize on the growing demand for Halal products and services worldwide;
• Introducing common mobile applications such as “e-agro”, early warning and geo-information systems, farmer registration system within the OTS. This project aims to promote the transfer of new agro-technologies, know-how and innovative solutions for agricultural productivity (digital farming) and improve the quality, efficiency and inclusiveness of food value chain.