Turkey has signed an agriculture cooperation agreement with Sudan, which gives Turkish General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises and Turkish companies several options to operate in the north African state, Anadolu Agency reported.
According to the deal agreed on Monday, the Turkish General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises (TIGEM) and Turkish companies can invest directly in Sudan, engage in partnerships with local partners or fund agro-processing and food production projects.
Sudan has very large agricultural land and the rainwater is enough for irrigation in some regions of the country, said Turkey's Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister, Mehmet Mehdi Eker, at a signing ceremony in the TIGEM conference center in the Turkish capital of Ankara.
"The agreement is the first for Turkey. Turkey´s TIGEM and an institution from Sudan will establish a joint-venture company. The company will rent 780,000-hectares of land for the long-term in Sudan. We have already set the land for this. Turkey will help with its technology, mechanization and animal breeding. The company will export its production to the world," he said.
The accord aims to use Sudan´s land resources and export surpluses to Turkey and the rest of the world to contribute to solving the world's food shortage before another price hike in food prices, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, Minister of Agriculture of Sudan said.
"Food prices in the world have been increasing since the 2008 crisis. Drought in Australia and the U.S. and tensions in Ukraine will hike food prices again. Sudan has fertile land with water facilities and Sudan will benefit from this," said Hamid.