Ağrı is on the way of being a center of stockbreeding of TurkeyThe region is suitable for stockbreeding thanks to its geographic structure and wide meadows and pastures. 36% of the meadow and pasture area of ​​TRA2 region is within the boundaries of Ağrı. Its meadows and pastures are almost 2.5 times bigger than Turkey’s average with 18,7. This gives opportunities to make common stockbreeding in meadows. Because its climate is suitable for feed corp growing, this makes contributions to the development of stockbreeding in the region, but long and harsh winter conditions create a negative effect. The number of cattle animals has increased steadily since 2013. In 2017, the total number of cattle has reached 352,864. In the province, domestic cattle breeding and cross breeding is common in stockbreeding.

When the number of small cattles is examined, Ağrı is in the 1st rank in TRA2 region and 5th rank in Turkey with its 1.494.584 small cattles. According to the data provided by Ağrı Provincial Directorate of Agriculture, there are 14,898 business which are active small cattle breeding. Morkaraman, Morkaraman and Akkaraman cross breedings and Akkaraman domestic breeding are present in the province and Hair Goat is the goat breed in the province. Between 2007-2017, the breeders were paid 133.536.570,00 TL within the scope of Mother-Sheep and Goat Support.

Ağrı has had many strengths in stockbreeding and in the industry depending on these fields. These are respectively;Excess of young populationExcess of pastures and meadowsHigh stockbreeding potentialHigh beekeeping capacityMoreover, Ağrı province has many opportunities in these areas;Having plenty of agricultural areasRegion’s being suitable to stockbreeding Having stockbreeding potential for the industry and exportPerforming fresh water fishing
Having potential to develop industry based on stockbreeding
Increasing the number of animal breeds which are suitable for the seasonal conditions
Facilitating the establishment processes of the cooperatives
In this context, the investments to be made in the province of Ağrı;Breeding Cattle BreedingAs it is seen all around the country, stockbreeding activities increase the yield in the region by reforming the breed as the most important solution and generalizing the breeds which can survive in the regional conditions and have high yield. Due to domestic demand, breeding cattles have been imported which will be used to reform the domestic breeds in the country and region and which are can live in the regional conditions. Stockbreeding support programs which are carried out in the provinces of the Region, which are especially important for stockbreeding, offer significant advantages to investors to establish modern businesses. Within this scope, it is promoted to have culture or hybrid breed which can survive in the region. The nearest plant for reform activities to be carried out in the region is in Central Anatolia and the breeders provide culture and hybrid animal breeds from out of the region or abroad by paying high costs. A large-scale breeding cattle breeding business to be established in the province will have a large market network by meeting the demands in Ağrı and neighboring provinces. When you think that the transportation infrastructure in the province, and public investments, has been remarkably improved in recent years, it is foreseen that there will not be any problems in terms of transportation both during the establishment and sales processes. Although the regional climate is suitable for feed crops and stockbreeding in the pasture, winter conditions will not be considered as a negative factor to affect the investors if the feed is provided to the animals. Some institutions and organizations such as Development Agency, Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution have been recently established in the region. Moreover, the State Aid for Investments and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, which have been rearranged according to the priorities of the region, provide significant benefits for the development of the sector.

Livestock Breeding for MeatAnimal protein consumption per person in the country is below the developed countries. Recently, the demand for red meat has been met with the animals imported from abroad which has high carcase ratio. When the diet and consumption habits of the population living in Turkey, young population and the increasing income level of the population are considered, increase in each factor shows us that the meat product will be consumed much more. Richness in pastures and meadows, fame of the animals gron in TRA2 Region as a prominent center of the country and the excessive domestic demand for meat shall be considered as an opportunity for the facility to be established in terms of market conditions. According to the data obtained in 2017, there are almost 352.000 cattle in Ağrı province. Most of these animals are sold when they are alive. Now, only the Meat Facility butchers the animals and this conditions is highly effective on growing breding cattle. Turkish cuisine is focused on meat and the increase in the urbanization ratio of our country may be one of the reasons which positively affect the demand on meat and meat products by raising awareness for the public health and by making the public understand the importance of consuming animal protein and In Turkey there are improving and supporting mechanisms in order to promote the animal products, improve the product quality and marketing services and also there are many supportive mechanism for livestock breeding for meat. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution (TKDK) and the incentive system are the main support mechanisms and Ağrı is one of the most supported regions in the country.

Cow DairyingThe most important problem of the 6 milk processing plants in the province is that they cannot find sufficient raw materials and therefore they operate less then own capacities. The most important reason for this is that habit of selling milk is not common among the farmers. A big part of the collected milk is consumed at home or any milk is not collected. And also the milk collection network is not sufficiently wide yet. Establishment of milk collection centers in the province will make contributions to the transition to milk production as a business. Policies and supports which are conducted to increase the milk consumption per person that is highly below the average of Europe will make milk an dairy products sector a promising sector for future. Thanks to the investments to be made in cow dairying, it is possible to start to production in the short term. Milk is a product that is consumed every day and converted into money in the short term. Adding female calves to the herd and selling male calves increases the business capacity and profitability. The use of pasture crops which cannot be used in any other way, other coarse feeds, agricultural products and residues of food industry in the feeding of cattle will make the livestock growing more economical. Fertilizers obtained from cattle increase the quality of the soil and some feed corps used in animal nutrition have the same function.

BeekeepingAğrı has a great potential for beekeeping with its rich flora and wide meadow-pasture areas. Thanks to this feature, the province is an important location for migrant beekeepers in spring. 18% of the hives and 31% of honey production are in TRA2 region. Ağrı is above the average of the Region (11kg) and Turkey (15 kg) with 22,5kg honey per hive. After the fixed costs are reduced from the combs, it is possible to make profit out of beekeeping.

Developments seen in the incentive measures which have been done recently, promotion and training activities of the Beekeeping Association are encouraging for the producers.

Sheep BreedingAlthough cattle breeding has come to the forefront in the province in recent years, Ağrı has very favorable conditions and a culture for breeding small cattle. There were approximately 1.5 million small cattle in Ağrı in 1995, but this number has decreased to 1,4 million in 2017. In the same period, the total number of small cattles has increased from 42.9 million to 44.3 million in Turkey. Although the climate condition of Ağrı is relatively worse than the other parts of Turkey where small cattles are grown, it has suitable conditions for small cattle breeding in terms of raw material, transportation, labor, land condition and incentives.

Meat Products (Charcuterie)The region is suitable for cattle breeding thanks to its geographical location and large pasture area. Livestock breeding is popular in the province on the contrary to the other provinces in TRA2 Region. Presence of 352 thousand cattles and 1.4 million small cattle in the province clears the way for meat product (Charcuterie) investments. Increasing population of the province and increasing meat consumption per person in Turkey are important for meat and meat products sector.

Environment and climate conditions do not create a big pressure on meat products. The biggest deficiencies in this area are the lack of senior managers and technical personnel in the province, not using financial opportunities of the present business and the lack of adequate facilities for meat processing in the province.

In order to develop stockbreeding, which has a great importance in the economic life of the province, State Aids in Investments, TKDK, SERKA and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry have implemented incentives. In the current situation, Ağrı offers a great potential to professional businesses in the investments to be made on the meat products.

Honey Production and Packaging PlantAğrı province, whose honey yield per hive is above TRA2 and Turkey, has produced approximately 10% of total honey in the Region. According to 2017 data of Turkish Statistical Institute (TUİK), 182 tons of honey per year will be marketed out of the province thanks to the packaging facility to be established. Although it is known by the people who live in the region that the honey quality is high due to the flora of the province, there is a lack of branding and marketing strategy. After the necessary initiatives are made, the mobility in the sector will be positively reflected on the packaging facility . When the production capacity of the two packaging facilities and the produced honey amount in the province is considered, there is a significant gap in the sector.