Crisis in Turkish agriculture as a result of climate change and urban development

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, at the same time as the economic crisis continues In Turkey and the emergence of many problems in providing foreign exchange resources for imports, the agricultural sector of this country has practically reached a dead end.

The evidence shows that in the past few years, parallel The decrease in the number of human resources in the Turkish agricultural sector and the increase in the cost of production, the import of agricultural and food products in Turkey has increased. This has caused the price of food, especially items such as bread, oil, dairy and meat products, to rise unprecedentedly. According to experts, the occurrence of major problems such as Climatic changes and drought and, at the same time, making wrong decisions in macro-economic planning, have caused Turkey’s agriculture to be at a standstill.

Turkey’s farmers, hordes of debtors and bankrupts

According to experts, agriculture in Turkey is stuck in a big deadlock! Because on the one hand, the cost of production has gone up and on the other hand, a significant part of the farmers have gone to the housing sector and even fake jobs due to their low income.

Ankara Press, in a report, stated that input costs in Turkey’s agricultural sector are increasing dramatically, government support is insufficient, and farmers are drowning in debt, and this situation threatens the future of agriculture. Gasoline, fertilizer, pesticides, seeds and livestock inputs have become more expensive than ever before, and farmers have to take loans to continue production.

They have not settled the previous one and they are practically crushed under the burden of debt. https://newsmedia.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Image/1402/12/06/1402120612450689629459854.jpg”/> 

The start of farmers’ protests in different European countries shows that the Turkish agricultural sector is also facing similar problems, but with the difference that many production items in Turkey, even from The European model is also more expensive.

Farmers in Turkey want to remove taxes, especially on important inputs such as diesel fuel, and increase agricultural support in parallel with increasing input costs.

The most expensive diesel in the world in Turkey

for The Iranian farmer who pours diesel at a very low price in the tanks of tractors, combines and other agricultural machines, the final price of the product will be reasonable.

On the other hand, a truck which transports fruit and other products to the markets of Iran, again with a gift called cheap fuel, it delivers the product to the consumer at an acceptable price. But the Turkish farmer consumes the most expensive diesel in the world and pays 1 and a half US dollars or 45 Turkish liras for each liter of diesel!

This exorbitant price makes Transportation is also very expensive and, for example, an apple that is sold in the garden for 8 lira, will reach 25 lira in the market square and 40 lira at the consumer!

Plain Onker Turkish journalists have shown in a report that based on the data of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture, it can be clearly seen that the price of fertilizer, dairy, fattening feed, electricity and poisons has increased significantly in the last year.

These increases raise production costs for farmers to an unprecedented level. These economic pressures cause farmers to withdraw from production, reduce the availability of livestock and, as a result, increase the price of basic food products such as meat and milk. Producers want to be profitable by increasing support and reducing costs.

Turkey is a large importer of wheat

Currently, Turkey is one of the largest wheat importing countries in the world. Türkiye’s wheat import from Russia increased to 9 million tons. These purchases from Russia reached 9 million tons with a 140% increase compared to the previous year, and the monetary value of these shipments was 2.7 billion dollars.

At the same time, wheat imports from Ukraine It increased by 21% to 2.5 million tons, and the purchase of wheat from countries such as Kazakhstan, Moldova and Syria also increased. Of course, imports from Bosnia and Herzegovina have also started. Turkey’s total wheat import reached 12 million tons last year, which was a third increase compared to the previous period. , is one of the important players in the global wheat trade in terms of import and export. But at the same time, it is one of the countries that consumes the most wheat. In this regard, Turkey ranks fifth after countries such as China, India, Pakistan and Russia.

Turkey’s agriculture and The threat of climate change

Turkey’s farmers are facing a production and supply crisis in which climate change also threatens this country. According to the 6th IPCC assessment report, the increase in temperature due to climate change will expose Turkey and the Central Mediterranean countries to serious risks of drought.

This report on the effects of global warming, It presents the role of human influences and the possible future of the climate, citing scientific findings, and emphasizes that severe droughts may occur, especially between the years 2050 and 2100, and this situation is a serious threat to Turkey.

According to a report published by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal, forest fires are expected to become more frequent and intense due to climate change and land use change.

Severe fires are expected to increase by 50%. This increase poses a great risk, especially for areas affected by droughts and heat waves. In the fires of 2022 and 2023, Turkey was not in a good mood and went to fire without equipment. But now the experts of this report emphasize that the government should consider special credits for this sector. /Uploaded/Image/1402/11/27/1402112713552433329407114.jpg”/>

In the coming years and due to climate change, Turkey and other central Mediterranean countries will face big problems. and in addition to agriculture and animal husbandry, water resources and the health of the ecosystem will be at risk, and it is necessary for Turkey and other countries at risk to take urgent measures to increase resilience against the effects of climate change.

These measures include more efficient use of water resources, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, modifying cropping patterns, improving forest management, and investing more in fire prevention and preparedness.

Of course, in addition to the above problems, Turkish agriculture has serious problems in the area of ​​reckless urban development, changing the use of agricultural lands illegally and turning them into settlements and residential areas on the outskirts of the city.

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