Reducing On-Farm Food Losses
In the OIC Member Countries
80
handling caused physical damage. Fruits left in heaps exposed to the sun became very hot and
suffered from rapid quality deterioration. Specific recommendations to reduce on-farm losses
of plantains and bananas, and general recommendations for improved on-farmhandling of fruits
and vegetable crops are provided as follows:
 Reduce rough handling: Requires training so that farmers are aware of the
consequences of their practices especially during and after harvest.
 Proper harvesting (timing and handling practices): Training on how farmers should
harvest at the right maturity for different markets, handling during harvest, the proper
time of harvesting, and use of improved containers.
 Improved harvesting practices: Having two people harvest together would reduce
damage due to dropping as one cuts the bunch, and the other carries it.
 Temperature management: Pre-cooling or provision of shade for the produce could
help to reduce on-farm losses, slow the rate of ripening and decay.
3.7. Case Study 7: Broiler Meat in Turkey
Poultry (chicken) is the most produced animal food in the world. Saudi Arabia, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Jordan among the OIC member countries are also major producers. Turkey is among
the topmost poultry producing and exporting countries, with production of 1.76 million tonnes
(2014) increasing to 2 million tonnes (2015).
3.7.1. Status and Importance
The top producers of broiler meat are the United States, Brazil, China, the European Union, India,
Russia, Mexico, Argentina, and Turkey (2m tonnes), and Thailand and Indonesia (1.6m tonnes).
Among the OIC Member Countries, Turkey is major exporter with 340,000 tonnes, importing
900,000 tonnes to Saudi Arabia and 690,000 tonnes to Iraq.
About 48% of the egg exports and 56% of broiler meat exports are to Iraq. Chicken legs are
considered a by-product and are also exported. However, the website
recently reported that higher taxes in Iraq are troubling Turkish poultry exporters (Feb 27,
2015). In contrast, Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency reported on Turkey’s plans to increase food
supplies to Russia to $3.0 billion in 2015 from $1.2 billion in 2013 if customs duties are lowered.
Food Turkey Magazine (2014) describes the industry as a modern food sector, noting one very
large chicken producer with modern production facilities that earns $US28.8 million in annual
sales, uses a new dry pluck system, and is halal certified.
Currently, there are currently 80 hatcheries, 322 breeding enterprise, 9,444 commercial broiler
enterprises, and 994 commercial laying hen enterprises in Turkey, for a total of 10,840
(Yenilmez and Uruk 2014). The production level of the poultry meat in 1990 was 216,759
tonnes, increasing to 1,758,363 tonnes in 2013 (The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock,
2014). About 70-75% of production in Turkey come from integrated establishments and 15-
20% of production made in semi-integrated establishments (Gulen and Nevzat 2010).