The 2-Year-Old Heritage of “Atalık Ahmet Wheat” is Being Transferred to Generations with Duru Bulgur

Duru Bulgur, which aims to bring bulgur back to tables in Turkey and to have it take its place in world cuisines, signed an important collaboration in 2018. With the joint project carried out with Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University, “Ahmet Wheat” stored in historical grain silos in Taşkale Village affiliated to Karaman city center was brought to light. The seed of the 2-year-old “Ahmet Wheat”, which has been passed down from generation to generation, was taken from the farmer who carefully preserved it and was improved with 2 years of work.

The seeds obtained with the “rapid breeding” method, which was applied for the first time in Turkey in order to re-produce “Ahmet Wheat” and introduce it to the agricultural industry, were shared with farmers in Karaman last year after 3 years of field work and brought into the soil. Approximately 200 kilograms of yield was obtained from the first planting of “Ahmet Wheat” on an area of ​​approximately 800 decares last year. The seeds were distributed to farmers in Karaman for the second time during this year’s planting season and brought into the soil.

“The Real Increase in Efficiency Will Be Achieved in 3-4 Years”

Duru Bulgur Board Chairman Emin Duru, said that they have been operating in the sector since 1935 and that they know the superior features of “Ahmet Wheat”. Stating that they have achieved their goal of introducing a productive bulgur wheat into agriculture other than durum wheat, Duru noted that “Ahmet Wheat” provides great advantages with its features suitable for barren lands and resistant to drought. Duru noted the following:

“With global warming, air temperatures have increased, and Ahmet Wheat provides us with an advantage as it is a drought-resistant seed. Due to the increase in temperatures, we have moved the planting of this seed to November. We think that we will get higher yields from our wheat that grows in a short time in this way. Last year, we obtained approximately 200 kilograms of product on 800 decares. It is necessary to take into account the adaptation period of the seed to the soil. Starting from this point, we expect a significant increase in the production amount according to the structure of the wheat in 3-4 years. We believe that our farmers, who turn to certified wheat because it produces more products, will show more interest in Ahmet Wheat as they see the increase in yield. We are determined to ensure that this special wheat, which we believe will be the first choice of producers with its taste and quality, becomes permanent in Turkish agriculture and leave a legacy for the future.”

“We attach great importance to University-Industry Cooperation”

Duru Bulgur collaborated to develop “Ahmet Wheat” Vice Rector of Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey University Prof. Dr. Nevzat Aydın said that they were very happy to bring a very valuable product that was on the verge of extinction to the Turkish economy with the project they started to protect genetic quality. Aydın explained the following about the quality of bulgur produced from “Atalık Ahmet Wheat”:

“Our wheat’s field tests were conducted by our farmers. During this process, Duru Bulgur conducted the product tests at the factory. We produced bulgur from approximately 100 tons of product. One of the findings that made us very happy was that our seeds emitted a unique smell during the bulgur stage. We also received very positive feedback from the users we tested. Our users liked the taste, unique smell, appearance in the package and quality of the bulgur. As Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey University, which was assigned by YÖK as the Regional Development Specialization University, we attach great importance to such collaborations with the industry. When you develop value-added products, your export volumes also increase. Marketing high value-added products both domestically and abroad is of vital importance for our country. It is of great importance that the genetic heritage of the 2000-year-old ancestral seed Ahmet Buğdayı has been transferred to future generations and reunited with our lands.”

Source: HORECA TREND and Duru Bulgur