ETİ, one of Turkey’s leading food manufacturers, has marked an important milestone in agricultural R&D and climate-resilient sourcing. Engineered to withstand severe drought conditions with high adaptability, the registered domestic variety Kanatlı Wheat completed its inaugural seed harvest.
Breeding and field trials originated in 2004 at the Transitional Zone Agricultural Research Institute, with ETİ joining the initiative a decade ago alongside TÜBİTAK and TAGEM. Following the acquisition of production rights last year, Kanatlı Wheat forms the baseline for ETİ’s certified seed strategy, ensuring climate-shielded raw material access for high-quality biscuit flour. The wheat was named in honor of ETİ's late founder, Firuz Kanatlı.
Contract Farming Scaled from 1,800 to 350,000 Decares
ETİ's agricultural supply chain and farmer-support framework encompass:
Footprint Growth: A contract-farming network that expanded from 11 farmers across 1,800 decares 15 years ago to approximately 350,000 decares today.
Farmer Support: Growers receive in-kind resources including seeds, fertilizers, and crop nutrition products, supported on-site by specialized agricultural engineers.
Offtake and Logistics: Products complying with defined quality benchmarks receive guaranteed purchase agreements and complimentary transportation directly from fields.
Accredited R&D Operations: Designated as a "Private Sector Agricultural Research Institution" by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, ETİ collaborates with academic institutes and executes TÜBİTAK-backed breeding programs.
Statement from Global CEO Ercan Öz
Ercan Öz, Global CEO of ETİ, commented:
Kanatlı Wheat, which we joined 10 years ago and proudly completed the first harvest of today, stands as one of the most tangible steps in our agricultural sustainability vision. This long-term project proved its strategic value following the severe droughts experienced across Turkey last year. It highlighted the vulnerabilities of traditional agricultural systems against climate change while confirming the foresight of our investments.
Named after our late founder Firuz Kanatlı by the Transitional Zone Agricultural Research Institute for his support of domestic farming, this wheat plays a critical role in safeguarding the future of our food supply. We are confident that this variety, maintaining high quality despite changing climatic conditions, will serve as a resilient, reliable, and high-standard raw material baseline for our food sector.
