The launch meeting of the "Analysis of Cooperation Processes in Red Meat Production and Processing Project" organized by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of the Republic of Turkey and the Management Sciences R&D Center of the Turkish Industry and Shipping Administration Institute (TÜSSİDE) was held on March 23, 2017 in Erzurum.

To the meeting; Erzurum Deputy Mr. Orhan DELİGÖZ, Erzurum Governor Mr. Seyfettin AZİZOĞLU, Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mr. Mehmet SEKMEN, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock Deputy General Director of Agricultural Reform Mr. Faruk FIRATOĞLU, TÜSSİDE Institute Director Mr. Tezer BATTAL, Erzurum Food, Agriculture and Livestock Director Osman AKAR , Deputy Provincial Directors, Institute Directors, Branch Managers, District Managers, Academicians, Manufacturers with a say in the sector, Presidents of non-governmental organizations related to the sector and members of the press attended.

In his opening speech, TÜSSİDE Institute Director Mr. Tezer BATTAL stated that Erzurum province and its hinterland is a region suitable for cattle and sheep farming with its climate conditions and flora, that natural conditions have created a natural agglomeration for the red meat industry in this region, and that this agglomeration can be transformed into cooperation models with a planned action. He emphasized that by being transformed, it can have the capacity to create much more benefit than individual businesses can create.

Within the scope of the program, a panel was held to discuss the problems in the red meat sector, which is one of the sectors that provides employment to a significant part of the population, helps meet the food needs, provides economic income to many branches of the industrial sector and contributes to the economy with its export potential. Academicians, business owners and representatives of non-governmental organizations, who were speakers in the panel, defined the current problems and discussed what needs to be done to solve them. At the meeting, where it was defined that the cooperation of institutions and actors will be the locomotive in red meat production and processing, it was noted that progress would not be possible without cooperation, therefore all actors related to the sector should take responsibility together.