From Minitubers to French Fries: Inside Turkey’s Largest Potato Cooperative
n this episode of the International Potato Tour (IPT), we travel to Turkey, one of the world's leading potato-producing countries, to explore its seed potato industry, breeding programs, and innovative storage solutions. Together with industry experts and seed producers, we discuss the development of Turkey's potato sector, government regulations, seed certification, market challenges, and future opportunities. Learn how Turkey produces around 6 million tons of potatoes annually, exports agricultural products to more than 100 countries, and continues to invest in advanced breeding and seed production technologies. One of the highlights of this visit is the famous cave potato storage facilities in Nevşehir, where up to 2.5 million tons of potatoes can be stored naturally without electricity under ideal temperature and humidity conditions. We also visit a modern breeding and research center featuring tissue culture laboratories, molecular diagnostics, ELISA testing, and mini-tuber production facilities. Discover how new potato varieties are developed with improved disease resistance, drought tolerance, and stable yields. Join us on this fascinating journey through the heart of Turkey's potato industry! #InternationalPotatoTour #IPT #Potato #SeedPotato #PotatoBreeding #PotatoStorage #Turkey #Agriculture #Farming #PotatoesNews TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction and meeting Turkey's seed potato industry representatives 00:29 The Seed Producers Association and cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture 01:24 How Turkish seed legislation transformed the potato industry 02:03 Exporting agricultural products to more than 100 countries 02:35 Turkey's potato production: processing, seed and table potatoes 03:05 Turkish potato varieties and imported foundation seed 04:01 The rapid growth of the French fries and processing sector 05:02 Irrigation challenges, climate change and the 2026 season 06:08 Global potato market trends and falling prices 08:07 Why global potato surpluses emerged after the pandemic 09:01 Rising production costs and challenges for potato growers 10:26 Government influence on potato and onion prices 11:25 The challenge of uncertified seed and the black market 12:42 Common mistakes made by potato growers 14:13 The importance of production planning 15:41 Long-term cooperation with GENTA 16:28 Crop protection technologies and seed quality improvement 17:56 The unique cave potato storage facilities of Nevşehir 18:22 Storing up to 2.5 million tons of potatoes without electricity 19:08 Geological origins of the natural storage caves 20:27 The history behind the first cave potato warehouses 22:12 Turkey's fully integrated potato production company 22:43 Modern potato breeding and variety development 23:16 Turkish varieties registered in the European Union 24:14 Molecular breeding and DNA analysis 24:53 Disease testing and seed quality control 25:39 ELISA testing and virus detection 26:37 Tissue culture laboratories and disease-free plant production 28:41 International Potato Tour visits Turkey's famous cave storage facilities 29:07 Potatoes harvested in 2025 still in excellent condition 31:50 Final thoughts and what's next for the International Potato Tour #InternationalPotatoTour #IPT #PotatoesNews #Turkey #Potato #PotatoFarming #SeedPotatoes #FrenchFries #Agriculture #Farming #FoodProcessing #PotatoIndustry #FarmToTable #AgTech #PotatoGrowers #Agribusiness #Nevsehir #TurkeyAgriculture #GlobalPotatoIndustry #PotatoTour
n this episode of the International Potato Tour (IPT), we travel to Turkey, one of the world's leading potato-producing countries, to explore its seed potato industry, breeding programs, and innovative storage solutions. Together with industry experts and seed producers, we discuss the development of Turkey's potato sector, government regulations, seed certification, market challenges, and future opportunities. Learn how Turkey produces around 6 million tons of potatoes annually, exports agricultural products to more than 100 countries, and continues to invest in advanced breeding and seed production technologies. One of the highlights of this visit is the famous cave potato storage facilities in Nevşehir, where up to 2.5 million tons of potatoes can be stored naturally without electricity under ideal temperature and humidity conditions. We also visit a modern breeding and research center featuring tissue culture laboratories, molecular diagnostics, ELISA testing, and mini-tuber production facilities. Discover how new potato varieties are developed with improved disease resistance, drought tolerance, and stable yields. Join us on this fascinating journey through the heart of Turkey's potato industry! #InternationalPotatoTour #IPT #Potato #SeedPotato #PotatoBreeding #PotatoStorage #Turkey #Agriculture #Farming #PotatoesNews TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction and meeting Turkey's seed potato industry representatives 00:29 The Seed Producers Association and cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture 01:24 How Turkish seed legislation transformed the potato industry 02:03 Exporting agricultural products to more than 100 countries 02:35 Turkey's potato production: processing, seed and table potatoes 03:05 Turkish potato varieties and imported foundation seed 04:01 The rapid growth of the French fries and processing sector 05:02 Irrigation challenges, climate change and the 2026 season 06:08 Global potato market trends and falling prices 08:07 Why global potato surpluses emerged after the pandemic 09:01 Rising production costs and challenges for potato growers 10:26 Government influence on potato and onion prices 11:25 The challenge of uncertified seed and the black market 12:42 Common mistakes made by potato growers 14:13 The importance of production planning 15:41 Long-term cooperation with GENTA 16:28 Crop protection technologies and seed quality improvement 17:56 The unique cave potato storage facilities of Nevşehir 18:22 Storing up to 2.5 million tons of potatoes without electricity 19:08 Geological origins of the natural storage caves 20:27 The history behind the first cave potato warehouses 22:12 Turkey's fully integrated potato production company 22:43 Modern potato breeding and variety development 23:16 Turkish varieties registered in the European Union 24:14 Molecular breeding and DNA analysis 24:53 Disease testing and seed quality control 25:39 ELISA testing and virus detection 26:37 Tissue culture laboratories and disease-free plant production 28:41 International Potato Tour visits Turkey's famous cave storage facilities 29:07 Potatoes harvested in 2025 still in excellent condition 31:50 Final thoughts and what's next for the International Potato Tour #InternationalPotatoTour #IPT #PotatoesNews #Turkey #Potato #PotatoFarming #SeedPotatoes #FrenchFries #Agriculture #Farming #FoodProcessing #PotatoIndustry #FarmToTable #AgTech #PotatoGrowers #Agribusiness #Nevsehir #TurkeyAgriculture #GlobalPotatoIndustry #PotatoTour