In Turkey, which was once ‘self-sufficient’ country in agriculture, the wrong policies followed brought agriculture to the point of extinction.
According to the second quarter growth data announced by Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), the agricultural sector shrank by 2,9 percent, while the number of farmers, which was 1,1 million in 2008, fell to 512,000 in 2021, according to Social Security Institution (SGK) data. Agricultural areas, which were 26,3 million hectares in 2001, decreased to 23,1 million hectares. While many factors such as increasing fertilizer, seed and diesel prices, insufficient support to producers, and opening of agricultural lands for zoning seem to be the reasons for the shrinkage in agriculture; Fears are that the negative trend could trigger a food crisis.
“WE CAN COME UP AGAINST FAMINES”
Stating that the bad situation in agriculture may lead to a food crisis in the coming years, Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) Chamber of Agricultural Engineers Edirne Provincial Representative Erdoğan Yanılmaz said, “Agricultural lands are decreasing day by day, we still have uncultivated areas. The farmer is cut off from production, there is an increase in input costs. Supports have to be done on the day and the On time. This is not the case with imports. This could trigger a food crisis,” he said.
“WE LOSE WHEN WE PRODUCE”
Recai Karagöz, a farmer from Diyarbakir, who stated that the farmer makes a loss while producing, said, “We make a loss while producing. Feed, vaccine and transportation costs are all out of our pockets. The price of first quality base fertilizer has gone up. Diesel prices are already in the middle.”
AGRICULTURE IS SHRINKING, THE NUMBER OF FARMERS IS DECREASING, AGRICULTURAL LANDS ARE GETTING SMALLER
According to the growth data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute, agricultural activities shrank by 2,9 percent in the second quarter of 2022.
According to the data of the Social Security Institution, while there were 1 million 127 thousand 744 farmers in Turkey in 2008, this number decreased to 511 thousand 923 in 2021. According to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and TURKSTAT; While there were 26 million 350 thousand hectares of agricultural land in 2001, the current agricultural area has decreased to 23 million 136 thousand hectares due to the opening of agricultural lands for development and insufficient support for farmers.
WE RANKED IN THE TOP 3 IN THE WORLD IN WHEAT AND BARLEY IMPORTS
While it was a self-sufficient country, our country became foreign-dependent, and production decreased in wheat and barley, as in many other products. Wheat production in Turkey, which was 19,5 million tons in 2002, decreased to 17,6 million tons in 2021. While the area under wheat cultivation was 9,3 million hectares in 2002, it decreased to 6,9 million hectares in 2020. Turkey's barley production, which was around 7,9 million tons in 2002, decreased to 5 million 750 thousand tons in 2021. According to the report of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Turkey became one of the top 3 importing countries in the world in wheat and barley in the 2021-2022 season.
The bad policies of the government continue to affect the agricultural sector negatively. According to the data of the second quarter of the year published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), agricultural activities shrank by 2,9 percent compared to the previous year. Many negative factors such as increasing fertilizer and diesel prices, increasing import rates as a result of insufficient support to the producer and agricultural lands opened for development caused a decline in agriculture. According to the data of the Social Security Institution (SGK); While there were 1 million 127 thousand 744 farmers in Turkey in 2008, the number of farmers decreased to 928 thousand 454 by falling below one million for the first time in 2013. By 2021, it was seen that the number of farmers decreased to 511 thousand 923 people. According to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and TUIK; While there were 26 million 350 thousand hectares of agricultural land in 2001, the current agricultural area has decreased to 23 million 136 thousand hectares due to many reasons such as the opening of agricultural lands to zoning and insufficient support to farmers.