Turkey grapples with agricultural cost crisis as economy expands over 25 years

Farmers in Turkey are confronting sharply rising input costs for diesel, fertilizer, feed, seeds and pesticides, which they say are forcing some to sell land and abandon production. Abdullah Aysu, president of the farmers' union Çiftçi‑Sen, blamed free‑market policies since the 1980s and the privatization of state support agencies for the sector’s decline. He advocated a democratic, producer‑focused cooperative model, urging that cooperatives handle both production and marketing so that farmers can add value to their products.

At the same time, Turkey’s overall economy has shown substantial growth over the past quarter‑century. Per‑capita gross national income rose from $3,616 in 2002 to an estimated $18,040 in 2026, a five‑fold increase. Exports grew from $36.1 billion in 2002 to $273.3 billion in 2025, raising the country's share of world exports from 0.55% to 1.04%. Tourism revenue climbed from $12.4 billion to $65.2 billion, with visitor numbers rising from 15.2 million to 63.9 million. Foreign direct investment surged, public‑finance indicators improved markedly, and central‑bank reserves reached about $160 billion by July 2026. Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan affirmed commitment to policies that boost productivity, high‑value manufacturing and macro‑economic stability.