Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerThe milk purchase prices for 2023 were determined within the scope of the Mera İzmir project, which was created with the vision of "Another Agriculture is Possible" and made the shepherds smile. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality will buy goat milk for 11 liras and sheep milk for 17 liras from producers who produce in accordance with the project criteria in 21 districts.
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerShepherds will smile again this year with the Mera İzmir project, which was started in 2022 with the vision of "Another Agriculture is Possible". İzmir Metropolitan Municipality's subsidiary İzTarım A.Ş. has determined the milk purchase prices for 2023. In the new year, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality will buy goat milk for 17 liras and sheep milk for 21 liras from producers producing in accordance with the criteria of "Another Agriculture is Possible".
This year, Kiraz, Tire, Bayındır and Torbalı were also added.
Mera İzmir project, which gives hope to producers by reviving small cattle production in İzmir, is also expanding its scope in 2023. Kiraz, Tire, Bayındır and Torbalı districts were added to the milk purchases made in Bergama, Kınık, Menemen, Foça, Seferihisar, Güzelbahçe and Karaburun last year.
Producer's milk turns into value-added product
The milk purchased from the producer will be transformed into value-added products at the Bayındır Milk Processing Factory, which is planned to be opened in the coming days and test production has started. At the Dairy Processing Factory, which has a milk processing capacity of 100 tons per day, approximately 10 million liters of milk will be processed annually, of which 35 million liters will be sheep, goat and buffalo milk. Some of the milk to be purchased from the farmer will be delivered to the citizens with the “Milk Lamb” project of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. UHT milk can, UHT milk sachet, pasteurized milk glass, Izmir mozzarella, burrata cheese, feta cheese, feta cheese, cheddar cheese, knitting, tongue, tulum, kashkaval/gruyere cheese, ice cream, cream, butter and yoghurt and similar products are produced in the factory. With the İzmirli brand, it will continue to be brought together with domestic and foreign consumers.
Urban meets healthy food
With the “Mera İzmir” project, which was realized as one of the most important links of İzmir Agriculture, it is aimed to reduce water consumption in agriculture, to ensure that the producer is satiated in the place where he was born, and to bring together millions of people living in İzmir with healthy food. Within the scope of the project, a contracted milk production agreement is signed with the producers through cooperatives. Producers are asked to produce environmentally friendly and healthy milk that meets the criteria of Another Agriculture is Possible. Instead of silage corn, which consumes excessive water for their animals, milk is purchased from producers who only feed domestic fodder crops. For the milk purchase agreement, it is stipulated that the animals must be grazed on the pasture for a minimum of seven months.