Turkey’s Competition Authority has decided to launch a formal investigation into May-Agro Tohumculuk Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ (May Tohum), which operates in the production and sale of sunflower, corn, cotton, sweet corn, bean, industrial tomato, and spinach seeds.
According to a statement published on the Competition Authority’s website, the decision follows a preliminary inquiry into allegations that May Tohum restricted the regions and customers of its buyers, potentially violating the relevant provisions of the Law on the Protection of Competition.
Investigation Decision
The statement noted that the Competition Board found the information, documents, and findings obtained during the preliminary inquiry to be serious and sufficient. Based on these findings, the Board decided to initiate an investigation into the company.
The Authority emphasized the importance of farmers’ access to affordable seeds and seedlings in terms of production costs and food prices. It explained that the regional and customer restrictions under investigation refer to practices in which a company divides the market by instructing its dealers that they may sell only within certain regions or may not sell to specific customers. Such practices can hinder competition among dealers and lead to artificially high prices.
The statement also underlined that a decision to open an investigation does not mean that the company concerned has definitively violated the law or that it will necessarily face sanctions.
Source: Patronlar Dünyası/ Prepared by: İlayda Gök