Turkey loses 3 million hectares, urges tighter farmland protection

Turkey Ziraat Odaları Birliği (TZOB) president Şemsi Bayraktar warned that the country has lost about 3 million hectares of agricultural land over the past 30 years, shrinking from roughly 27 million to 24 million hectares. He attributed the loss to rapid urbanisation, industrial and infrastructure projects and called for a shift to protective farming practices, reduced tillage, increased organic matter, and smart irrigation such as drip and sprinkler systems. Bayraktar urged stricter control of hobby‑garden conversions and faster land‑consolidation efforts, stating “toprağın doğrudan sürülmesini azaltarak, koruyucu tarım uygulamalarına geçilmesi gerekiyor.”

In the Turkish parliament, DEVA Party deputy Hasan Karal criticised the government’s agricultural policies, saying farmers are squeezed by high input costs and punitive regulations. He emphasized that food security is a matter of national security and warned that “Çiftçiyi cezalarla üretime teşvik edemezsiniz.” Karal called for a comprehensive, sustainable national agriculture policy that reduces costs, improves market pricing, and strengthens inspection against fraud and counterfeit foods.