Producer associations as a model of producer organisations in rural area: Example of Mersin

In this study, it has been aimed to approached situation of Agricultural Producer Associations which established according to Law 5200 on Agricultural Producer Associations who enacted 2004, in Turkey. Therefore, it has been investigated producer organisation models and especially Producer Associations of the World, USA, EU countries, and also Turkey's, along with their legislative framework. In this study, 37 directors and 124 members who has been interwieved and answered quastionnaire are selected randomly. The Associations who has a large number of members, quastionnaire has been implemented with proportional stratified randomly sampling method which base on holding sizes. As a result of quastionnaire and interviewing, associations directors and members mostly are stated that association activities are insufficient, and it is far from satisfy the expectations. They have expressed that, because of Associations are weak in terms of financial and legitimate power, its services also deficient. Legislative framework should be changed/improved by the government, and associations are need to be supported by government. As a result; legislative framework about Producer Associations should be strengthening; roles of associations, in the process of marketing, should be improved; members and directors should be awaked through educational studies.