Discussions of the 2024 budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Planning and Budget Commission have ended.
Saadet Party Antalya Deputy Şerafettin Kılıç, who made a speech within the scope of the budget negotiations, pointed out that while Türkiye was a self-sufficient country in the field of agriculture, today it has become a country that imports many products from abroad.
He emphasized that the budget allocated to agriculture and animal husbandry in Türkiye is 1/4 of the budget allocated to interest.
The discussions on the 2024 budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Planning and Budget Commission were concluded the other day.
Saadet Party Antalya Deputy Şerafettin Kılıç, who is in the commission, touched upon the importance of agriculture and food production in his speech, and pointed out that Türkiye has a high potential in the field of agriculture, but the right policies are not implemented.
1 TRILLION 254 BILLION LIRA TO INTEREST EXPENDITURES, 283 BILLION LIRA TO THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Pointing out that the epidemics, wars and disasters experienced worldwide in recent years reveal the importance of food, Kılıç underlined that the events necessitate a change in the understanding of agriculture and animal husbandry in Türkiye.
"Look, I have to express with regret the situation we face as a country, especially in agriculture and animal husbandry. In the 2024 budget planning, only one-fourth of the resource allocated for interest expenses was allocated to the entire Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. While the amount allocated for interest expenses is 1 trillion 254 billion lira, the amount allocated for the entire Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is 283 billion lira. Interest is a microbe that rots the sweat of our brow and sucks the blood of our producers. Therefore, if we are going to talk about production, we must first make a comprehensive assessment of why the resources allocated to interest are not allocated for production," Kılıç said.
“REDUCING AGRICULTURAL SUPPORT IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SITUATION”
Reminding that legally 1 percent of the national income should be given as support to farmers, Kılıç stated that the government has ignored this legal obligation since 2006.
"According to the Agricultural Law enacted in 2006, farmer supports cannot be less than 1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. When we look at it, this law has not been complied with in any year. In the last 22 years, agricultural support has never reached 1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. This amount continues to decrease in recent years. Agricultural supports; While it was 0.33 percent in 2021, 0.26 percent in 2022, 0.25 percent in 2023, it is planned as 0.22 percent in the 2024 budget that we are currently talking about. As you can see, agricultural supports are decreasing steadily every year. Reducing support means reducing production. In such a period when basic input items such as diesel, fertilizer and electricity increase exponentially, reducing agricultural supports is not an acceptable situation," Kılıç added.
“42 PERCENT OF FARMERS CAN BENEFIT FROM THE SUPPORTS”
Pointing out that the blood loss in agriculture cannot be prevented unless the producer is protected, Kılıç also touched upon the problems in the Farmer Registration System.
"In order to receive support, farmers must be registered in the Farmer Registration System (ÇKS). There are serious problems in this system. 5 million 186 thousand farmers are registered in the registration system of the Union of Chambers of Agriculture of Türkiye (TZOB). However, only 2 million 173 thousand farmers are registered in the ÇKS system. This shows that only 42 percent of farmers can benefit from the supports. This system needs to be reorganized," Kılıç stated.
“WE ARE BECOME MORE DEPENDENT EVERY YEAR”
Underlining that there has been a steady decrease in red meat production, Kılıç stated that within the scope of the planning, the decreases are expected to continue in 2024.
"If the National Milk Council and the Soil Products Office do not take into account the increasing costs when setting prices, production decreases and actually decreases. Our population is increasing, the need is increasing accordingly, but production is decreasing. So, how will the need be met? By import. Where will it be imported from? It is imported from Brazil, Uruguay, Czechia and European countries. While the agricultural sector's food and live animal exports increased by only 5.8 percent in the first 8 months of this year, food and live animal imports increased by 25.1 percent in the same period. In other words, we are becoming more and more dependent on the outside world with each passing year. The resources that are not given as support to our farmers are given to the farmers of Brazil, the producers of Uruguay, and the tradesmen of Europe. It is not possible for us to accept this situation," Kılıç added.
“WE HAVE TO URGENTLY IMPLEMENT A NATIONAL AGRICULTURE UNDERSTANDING”
Reminding that the agricultural area was reduced to 6.2 percent in 2028 according to the sectoral distribution of added value within the scope of the Twelfth Development Plan, Kılıç noted that this move is proof that agriculture and animal husbandry are not taken into consideration.
"Agriculture is a matter of national security. We insistently remind you of this truth, and we see that it is not acted in accordance with this truth. We are the first country in food inflation among European and OECD countries and the fifth country with the highest food inflation in the world. In order to prevent inflation, we urgently have to implement a national understanding of agriculture. The national understanding of agriculture is an understanding of agriculture that prioritizes production and exports in every field, not imports. National understanding of agriculture; It is an agricultural approach that aims to eliminate foreign dependency in every field, from basic products to seeds," Kılıç urged.
“WE DO NOT WANT COMPANIES AND FOUNDATIONS IN OUR COUNTRY THAT MAKE PEOPLE SICK”
Kılıç mentioned that foods are controlled with genetically modified seeds and syrups produced in laboratories around the world, and pointed out that the studies carried out are carried out in an organized manner.
"While these activities are carried out through various companies and foundations, you also realize that these companies control not only the food sector, but also the health sector and many other related sectors. Companies such as MCain Foods, Cargill, Monsanto and the Bill Gates Foundation work harmoniously as if they were parts of the same orchestra. We cannot access the details of the 'Agricultural Cooperation Protocol' signed between the Bill Gates Foundation and our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in December 2018. We are curious about the activities carried out so far within the scope of this protocol. We do not want these companies and foundations in our country, which genetically disrupt food, make people sick, and then sell them drugs to supposedly cure them. Our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry should permanently terminate all relations with these companies and foundations," Kılıç said.