Hishtil produces seedlings in a total of 750 decares of closed area in 7 different countries around the world. In Turkey, Hishtil Turkey Fidecilik A.Ş., which has been operating in the production of vegetable seedlings since 1992, meets the expectations of the producers for quality seedlings as a result of innovation and R&D activities, with grafted and straight seedlings suitable for the climate of the region where it will be grown, both in domestic and abroad. increasing its market share abroad.
Could you give us information about the activities of Hishtil Fidecilik?
Hishtil Turkey Fidecilik A.Ş produces 80 million normal seedlings and 20 million grafted seedlings annually in technology-equipped greenhouses on 120 decares of land, 50 decares of which is closed, in Antalya. In addition to our Antalya production facility, Hishtil Turkey carries out its nursery activities on 80 decares of land, 30 decares of which is closed, in our plant established in Adana in 2015.
As Hishtil Fidecilik, we are operating in the vegetable seedling sector and present our different, high quality grafted and straight seedlings with great honor and enthusiasm, with the motive of facilitating the difficulties faced by producers in vegetable production. I would like to proudly emphasize that the grafted seedling, which has become widespread in fields and greenhouses in recent years, and which provides a significant solution to soil-borne diseases that cause yield and quality loss in production, was produced by Hishtil Fidecilik for the first time in Turkey.
With the high demand for grafted seedlings, Hishtil Fidecilik has accelerated its investments in this field and increased its grafted seedling production capacity from 10 million units/year to 25 million units/year in the last 10 years.
Grafted watermelon, grafted tomato, grafted eggplant, grafted cucumber, grafted pepper and grafted melon vegetable seedlings are produced in our facilities today.
Why should producers prefer the Hishtil Fidecilik brand, what distinguishes you from your competitors?
In order to maintain the standard and quality in production, we systematically produce seedlings without depending on individuals, with constantly updated production and technology protocols created with many years of experience in our company.
Growing seedlings is a very complex and comprehensive process and there are many variables that need to be controlled at all stages. The time of emergence of a seedling varies according to the type of plant and the season. In our facilities, the climatic conditions of all production environments are controlled and recorded with automatic systems. We produce the highest quality not only in the Turkish market, but also worldwide.
Since we have full knowledge of all the labor required by the seedlings during and after the sale, from fertilization, pesticides, maintenance and irrigation, we provide all the necessary information to our producers with our expert agricultural engineers, who are active in the field, provide uninterrupted technical consultancy services, produce the right solutions at the right time and support them to grow highly efficient products.
We see agricultural production as a process that continues from seed to harvest and even to our table, and consider it as a whole. In short, we are a company that stands by the manufacturers until the last moment of the product.
Unlike the automotive or electronics sector, the seedling is very sensitive because it is a living material, and like all living things that have just come to the world, it demands attention and wants you to understand from its soul. For this reason, we work diligently for the quality of the product and service with our teams working with devotion and synergy with each other with all our departments.
When it comes to quality seedlings, Hishtil's name comes to mind and here is the secret of our success. Today, as in the past, we adapt our learning and experience to our protocols and procedures, and we train our employees regularly.
As a result, our general working and production quality standard sets an example for all other representatives of the sector and sets the bar.
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Which trends in the global and Turkey-specific markets affect your company?
The economic crisis, both in the world and in our country, affects the seedling sector as dramatically as other sectors. High inflation, high exchange rate and the increase in the minimum wage have increased all our production costs considerably.
High input cost in the nursery sector is the most important threat, followed by low quality seeds, seed-borne diseases, lack of control and high VAT rate in contract seedling cultivation.
When faced with Instability and uncertainty, we at Hishtil replace these issues with vision and clarity. We continue to maintain our production quality by adapting to the economic crisis and taking savings measures in our company. We operate in accordance with the principle of efficiency and innovation. Namely, we strive to reduce our costs by optimizing human resources, technology infrastructure and production processes. Within the framework of the realities of the country, we continue to do our job in the best way we have in the past.
How do you handle the issue of sustainability in your company?
As Hishtil, we carry out our production by taking into account the principle of environmental sustainability. We create a sustainable agricultural solution by producing grafted seedlings that reduce water, fertilizer and labor costs. Our aim is to meet the needs of the producers and to secure the income of the producers despite all the difficulties of the sector.
We produce seedlings under the Global GAP certificate and GSSP. We prefer to work with environmentally sensitive companies in the selection of raw material suppliers. For example, if the seeds used in seedling production are of poor quality, you need to use more fertilizers and chemicals to produce seedlings. At this point, seed companies need to produce quality seeds in terms of environmental sustainability.
Our agricultural engineers for the needs of the producers provide the necessary support to enable the producers to make conscious production and maximize their efficiency. The subjects we focus on in our company by considering future generations: Occupational health and safety, Business ethics and transparency, Compliance with international standards and laws, Use of renewable energy sources, Energy efficiency and energy saving, Food safety and quality, Waste management, Sorting and recycling, Pesticide- Management of waste water containing manure, Clean water and water saving, Production continuity and efficiency.
If you think about the interaction between you and your business partners in the value chain, what does "digitalization" mean to you?
The technology provides better monitoring of the health of the seedlings. Irrigation, fertilization, lighting, spraying and disinfection in our greenhouses in Antalya and Adana; It is done automatically and the personnel can remotely control every point of seedling production. In addition to facilitating production with digitalization, digital agriculture technologies can make agricultural markets more efficient. Mobile phones, e-commerce platforms, digital payment systems and other digital farming technologies; can reduce market failures and transaction costs along the value chain.
Digital supply chain; Provides up-to-date, holistic information on performance, status and requirements. This information helps manage and optimize processes such as raw material flows, operational logistics, inventory levels, forecasting and resource planning. These are direct benefits for improved cash flow and cost reductions. New technologies and digitalization can optimize traditional supply chains, increase control, and create greater flexibility and preparedness for future disruptions. In addition, digital transformation brings benefits in automation, speed, collaboration, cost reduction and connectivity.
A digital supply chain reduces the need for human intervention. While digitization increases stability, accuracy, quality and predictability, there is still a need for a workforce for problem solving and decision making. Successful digitization depends on adequately trained and experienced staff who can effectively and optimally handle new technologies.