A panel to celebrate Plant Breeders’ Day was organized under the auspices of the Faculty of Agriculture and with the support of the Plant Breeders’ Sub-Association (BİSAB) of the Turkish Seed Growers’ Association (TÜRKTOB). The panel took place on May 11, 2026 in the July 15 National Will Hall at the Ahi Evran Congress and Culture Center, and was attended by Deputy Governor of Kırşehir Alper Balcı, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş, a faculty member of the Çukurova University Department of Agricultural Economics at the Faculty of Agriculture and a member of the Presidential Council on Agriculture and Food Policies Prof. Dr. Aykut Gül, Dean of Faculty of Agriculture Prof. Dr. Selahattin Çınar, President of TÜRKTOB Kayhan Yıldırım, BİSAB Board Chairman Mehmet Sinan Berksan, a faculty member of Ondokuz Mayıs University Department of Horticulture at the Faculty of Agriculture Prof. Dr. Ahmet Balkaya, a faculty member of the Department of Field Crops at Faculty of Agriculture Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramazan Ayrancı, Kırşehir Chamber of Agriculture President Mevlüt Toprak, as well as academic and administrative staff and students.

Well-attended Plant Breeders' Day celebration panel began with opening remarks, during which BİSAB Board Chairman Mehmet Sinan Berksan provided detailed information about BİSAB's activities in his speech. Explaining that they have been celebrating Plant Breeders’ Day since 2010, Berksan noted that they host the celebration events each year at the agriculture faculties of different universities. Emphasizing the importance of plant breeders for a country, BİSAB Board of Directors Chairman Mehmet Sinan Berksan added that, as BİSAB, they organize plant breeding courses every year to train qualified plant breeders needed by our country. Concluding his speech by celebrating Plant Breeders’ Day, Berksan thanked everyone who contributed to organizing the event.

Afterwards, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Prof. Dr. Selahattin Çınar took the floor and delivered a speech highlighting the significance of the day. Providing important insights on a wide range of topics, from food security to the climate crisis, Çınar noted that plant breeders are the driving force behind food production. Celebrating Plant Breeders’ Day, Prof. Dr. Selahattin Çınar expressed his pleasure at hosting such an event and thanked everyone who contributed to its organization.

Kayhan Yıldırım from TÜRKTOB then delivered a speech. In his speech, Yıldırım outlined TÜRKTOB’s activities and emphasized that countries must now take the lead not only in industry, technology, and energy but also in food production. “The future belongs not to those who plant seeds produced by others, but to those who decode and produce their own seeds,” said Yıldırım, thanking everyone who contributed to the organization of the event.

Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş then took the floor and highlighted the importance of food in human history. “Plant breeders are not only developing crops; they are also safeguarding the future,” said Güneş, adding that the university would continue to conduct research and produce results guided by science. Noting that “strong seeds mean a strong future,” Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş said that plant breeders bear great responsibilities in this regard. At the end of his speech, Güneş congratulated everyone on Plant Breeders’ Day and thanked everyone who contributed to organizing the event.

Lastly, Deputy Governor of Kırşehir Alper Balcı delivered a speech to celebrate Plant Breeders’ Day. Highlighting the importance of food for humanity and our country, Deputy Governor Alper Balcı thanked everyone who contributed to organizing the event.

Following the opening remarks, a video titled “Plant Breeding from the Republic to the Present” was screened. This was followed by a concert performed by the Music Department of Neşet Ertaş Faculty of Fine Arts.

The event then moved on to the panel titled “The Strategic Role of Plant Breeding in Agricultural Independence.” The panel was moderated by the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Prof. Dr. Selahattin Çınar. Panelists included: Prof. Dr. Aykut Gül, a member of the Presidential Council on Agriculture and Food Policies and a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Çukurova University’s Faculty of Agriculture, who spoke on “The Strategic Importance and Self-Sufficiency in Agriculture”; Prof. Dr. Ahmet Balkaya, a faculty member of the Department of Horticulture at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ondokuz Mayıs University, on “Horticultural Crop Breeding, Self-Sufficiency, and Strategic Status”; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramazan Ayrancı, a faculty member of the Department of Field Crops at the Faculty of Agriculture, on “Field Crop Breeding, Sufficiency, and Strategic Status.”

Following the panel discussion, the event moved on to the awards ceremony. The “Dr. Vehbi Eser Most Outstanding Thesis Awards” were presented to the top students and faculty members in each department, as well as to the recipients of the plant breeder awards. The Plant Breeders’ Day celebration panel concluded with a group photo.