Turkey’s economy continues to promise a bright future but still lags in becoming more sustainable and innovative, the country’s leading chief executive officers said at a first-ever meeting in Istanbul.

Prominent executives from Turkey’s leading holdings met Thursday for a discussion panel on the theme of “The Agenda of Today and Tomorrow,” organized by the CEO Club of Capital and Ekonomist magazines, to discuss both their corporate strategies and Turkey’s economic sustainability.

Addressing the participants, Agah Ugur, chief executive of Borusan Holding – active in steel, distribution, logistics, energy and telecommunications – said the holding would not invest in new fields until 2015. “Borusan will focus on its current businesses, investing more and maximizing its revenues,” he said.

Foreign investors are increasingly focusing on opportunities in Turkish agriculture, according to the head of a rice company. Mehmet Erdogan, chairman of Sezon Pirinc, says agriculture will be a crucial sector soon, as food shortages could even become causes of wars. ‘Hedge funds and lenders are also getting ready to purchase or rent agricultural land,’ he says. Foreign investment, which until recently focused mainly on the retail, tourism and finance sectors, has begun to rapidly shift toward agriculture, according to Mehmet Erdoğan, chairman of Turkish rice producer Sezon Pirinç.

As the issue is very important for Turkey’s agricultural sector, it should be seriously discussed in terms of the nation’s strategy for the upcoming years, Erdoğan said in a press statement.