Felicity (Saadet) Party Konya Deputy Abdulkadir Karaduman mentioned the problems of the farmers one by one at the press conference he held in Konya and listed the solution proposals of his party.
Underlining that the support given to keep producers in agriculture should be reviewed again, Karaduman said, “The supports of the farmers who cannot pay their debts are blocked and they are given to execution. Our producers' debts should be postponed for a long time and should be exempted from interest”.
Abdulkadir Karaduman brought the problems of farmers and tradesmen to the agenda with the press conference he held in Konya. Stating that Konya is the epicenter of Turkey in the production of grain products, Karaduman stated that 10 percent of the total agricultural production of Turkey is met by Konya, "Supports to be made to our producers in Konya have gained more importance than ever," he said.
FARMERS SHOULD BE EXEMPTED FROM INTEREST
Bringing the problems experienced by the farmers one by one, Karaduman said, "When the farmer has no product left, the product prices increase further. In this case, middlemen earn more than the manufacturer himself. In particular, intervention institutions should consider this situation in their price policies. It should not be cut from the manufacturer with a small amount of product to porter. Our producers have difficulties in paying their debts to the Agricultural Credit Cooperative and the bank. Structuring interest rates are above 21 percent. The interest rate rises considerably with other expenses. The supports of farmers who cannot pay their debts are blocked and they are executed. Our producers' debts should be postponed for a long time and should be exempted from interest. The materials produced by farmers should be exempted from execution."
COST INCREASES IN SUPPORTS MUST BE CALCULATED
Underlining that farmers are waiting for a solution, Karaduman said, "Increases in the prices of fertilizers, pesticides, diesel oil, seeds, electricity and water, which are the main inputs of agriculture, are the most important problems for producers. In addition, labor costs are also increasing. In order to keep the producers in agriculture, who cease production or quit completely and turn to other businesses, the support given should be reviewed and rearranged according to the current conditions. The increase in product sales prices is less than the increase in costs. This situation means harm for the farmer. Product sales prices should be arranged to satisfy both buyers and sellers."
BEET PRODUCERS ARE IN DIFFICULT SITUATION
Referring to the difficulties experienced by beet producers, Karaduman said;
"Sugar factories used to give farmers 20 percent of their products as pulp. This ratio was reduced to 15 percent due to the difficulties in feed prices and the increase in the sales of pulp by the factories. This situation puts both livestock producers and beet producers in a difficult situation. Beet prices were announced as 300 TL per ton in 2019, while it was announced as 336 TL per ton in 2020. The price increase remained below the cost increases. Costs should not be ignored while determining prices."