"178th Anniversary of the Beginning of Agricultural Education" celebration programme organised by Selçuk University Faculty of Agriculture was held with the participation of AK Party Kahramanmaraş Deputy Prof. Dr. Vahit Kirişci, Chairman of the TBMM Commission on Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs.

The programme, which was held at 30 August Hall of Sultan Alparslan Cultural Centre of Selçuk University, was attended by the Chairman of the TBMM Commission on Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs, AK Party Kahramanmaraş Deputy Prof. Dr. Vahit Kirişci, Selçuk University Rector Prof. Dr. Metin Aksoy, Deputy Governor Yavuz Güner, SU Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Emrullah Eken, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Prof. Dr. Sait Gezgin, President of Konya Agricultural Engineers Association Alptekin İlgün, protocol members, vice deans, academicians and students.

Delivering the opening speech of the programme, SU Faculty of Agriculture Dean Prof. Dr. Sait Gezgin said, "Today, one thousand 681 students are studying in 9 different departments in our Faculty. Looking at the average of the last 6 years of our faculty, 341 agricultural or food engineer graduates join the agricultural community annually.

All departments of our faculty have highly developed infrastructure and laboratory facilities in terms of education, training and R&D studies. The academic staff of our Faculty, which has these facilities, ranks 4 of our departments in the top 3 in our country according to the 2023 Activity Analysis Report made by TÜBİTAK with their studies. These contributions of our faculty to the world of science, in addition to undergraduate and undergraduate education, there are consultancy services provided by our faculty members to different companies and organisations within the scope of university-industry cooperation. We provide important contributions to the people of the region and the country in full harmony with public and private institutions with the consultancy and trainings we provide. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the programme with the belief and promise that we will further increase the level of our education, training and R&D studies."

Alptekin İlgün, President of Konya Agricultural Engineers Association, celebrated the 178th Anniversary of the Beginning of Agricultural Education.

Expressing his pleasure to host Prof. Dr. Vahit Kirişci, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Prof. Dr. Metin Aksoy, Rector of Selçuk University, said: "The global grain crisis, which started with the Covid-19, the Suez Canal Accident and the war in Ukraine, along with many other crises in recent history, clearly demonstrated the strategic importance of food security for those who know how to learn lessons. The risks taken by countries that establish unhealthy dependency relations with other countries for the supply of food, which is the most basic need for human existence, have also been seen all over the world. The dynamic structure of global politics and the fragility of global trade can put countries in a difficult situation by creating an equation that can change at any time. When this situation is combined with unexpected factors such as natural disasters and accidents, a nation's dependence on foreign countries to meet its food needs poses a great risk in this sense. In particular, disruptions in the food supply chain can seriously affect countries and jeopardise food security. In this context, following a self-sufficient food policy is one of the most robust strategies to ensure the food security of our country."

Stating that projects such as "Our Heritage Local Seed" carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry are of critical importance, Rector Prof. Dr. Aksoy said, "As Selçuk University, we contribute to the efforts of our country in this field with our seed studies in a similar direction. We have come a long way with our studies such as seed breeding and domestic hybrid seeds. Especially recently, domestic hybrid seeds produced by our Faculty of Agriculture in sugar beet and sunflower are promising. It is among the services we proudly offer to the service of our country. As a matter of fact, last year, we were selected as a 'Specialised University' in the field of Digital Technologies in Agriculture by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and we registered our success in the field of agricultural education. At this point, I would like to thank everyone who works day and night in our Faculty. I would like to express that as Selçuk University, we will support and pioneer the studies aiming to raise awareness in the field of agriculture and food and to carry forward the potential of our country in this field."

Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, AK Party Kahramanmaraş Deputy Prof. Dr. Vahit Kirişci said: "I would like to express my pleasure to be in Selçuk University, the distinguished university of Konya, the capital of Seljuk, the city of culture, the city of civilisation, the capital of Seljuk, the base of agriculture, industry and production. Today, if we have wasted the energies of the 1968-1978 generations and could not turn them into synergy, then our path is wrong. If we are talking about a TEKNOFEST generation today, our path is the right path. If we have increased our defence industry from 20 percent to 80 percent, this is the product of the sweat of forehead and mind of the TEKNOFEST generation. This generation has not only worked hard and hard for the defence industry, but has also demonstrated this in all sectors, including the agricultural sector.  We have another responsibility. This is the Century of Turkey, which starts on 29 October 2023. In fact, we have not added the word "Turkey" to the word "Turkey Century". We can clearly and easily state that it is also the century of the oppressed and victimised geographies that rely on Turkey. Because we have a President who says 'the world is bigger than five, it is possible to build a fairer world'. Let us not perceive this as a political discourse. Today, more than 23 thousand of our brothers and sisters in Gaza were sent to mercy. They are martyrs by the permission of Allah, but it is humanity and the so-called democracy apostle countries that remain silent in the face of these events. Therefore, I would like to emphasise that this is the century of Turkey and that it is a century of agriculture."

Emphasising the expectations from the agricultural sector, Prof. Dr. Vahit Kirişci, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, said: "The primary objectives are to ensure food supply security, to produce reliable food and to facilitate access to food. We see earthquakes and natural disasters, and it is necessary to build systems that are more resistant and resilient against risks. All of what we will talk about here prioritises one segment. That segment is the producers themselves, the farmers. Therefore, we must prioritise the welfare of producers. No matter which system we bring, no matter what we do, we must put the welfare of the producer at the highest point."

Chairman of the TBMM Commission on Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs, AK Party Kahramanmaraş Deputy Prof. Dr. Vahit Kirişci made a presentation on "Agricultural Engineering Education and Turkish Agriculture".

Rector Prof. Dr. Metin Aksoy presented a gift to Prof. Dr. Vahit Kirişci, Chairman of the TBMM Commission on Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs, and Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Öğüt and Prof. Dr. Yılmaz Bahtiyarca, who will retire from the Faculty of Agriculture in 2024.