Saadet Party Deputy Chairman and Istanbul Deputy Mustafa Kaya criticized the government's agricultural policies in a written statement. He stated that as a result of the wrong policies followed by the government, it has become an importing country even in a strategic area such as agriculture.
"Things got more complicated as a result of the steps taken with the mind of a trader, not the mind of the state, and one of the reasons that made the foreign trade deficit permanent was the understanding of imports in agricultural products," Kaya said.
“IMPORT BASED POLICY ENDED THE LIVESTOCK”
Kaya stated that as a result of the economic policies of the government based on imports, animal husbandry in our country has come to an end.
"Our people had to consume the most expensive meat in Europe. The market was tried to be balanced with the meat brought from Latin America and Serbia, but these could not go beyond an empty expectation, and each import turned into a dressing measure that aggravates the wound. Since our unsupported farmer could not see the next year, he had no choice but to save the day, our uncultivated lands increased with each passing year, and our people were forced to run away from production. Our farmers, who continue to sow despite all the difficulties, continue to wait in despair to see if someone will understand them," Kaya added.
"OUR COUNTRY'S FUTURE SHOULD NOT BE DARKENED"
Reacting to the purchase prices announced by the government, Kaya used following words:
"According to TURKSTAT data, this year wheat production will be 20.5 million tons with an increase of 3.8 percent compared to the previous year, and barley will be 8.6 million tons with an increase of 1.2 percent compared to last year. While our farmer expects a purchase price of 11 thousand TL for wheat and 10 thousand TL for barley, for a gain of only 5 percent this year, in the statement made by the government, Turkish Grain Board announced the purchase prices as 8 thousand 250 liras per ton for bread wheat and 7 thousand liras for barley. The purchase price and the amount of support given by the government disappointed our farmers. Although the production cost has increased by 46 percent in the past year, the figure given by the government has literally crushed the farmers against inflation. Moreover, the hikes in diesel and electricity have bent the back of the farmer even more. Agriculture is now a national security issue for Türkiye. Policies should be determined according to this fact, the future of our country should not be darkened."