Turkish Deputy reports 1.6 trillion lira shortfall in agricultural subsidies

CHP Niğde Deputy and member of the TBMM Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs Commission, Ömer Fethi Gürer, has highlighted a significant shortfall in agricultural support payments in Turkey. According to Gürer, Article 21 of the Agriculture Law (No. 5488), enacted in 2006, mandates that agricultural support programs must receive a budget allocation of no less than 1 percent of the gross national income.

Comparing data from 2006 to 2026, Gürer stated that while the law required a total of 2 trillion 312 billion 708 million lira in support, only 682 billion 185 million lira was actually provided. This leaves a deficit of 1 trillion 630 billion 523 million lira. He noted that this failure to meet legal requirements has contributed to the continuous indebtedness of producers.

Beyond funding gaps, Gürer pointed to high input costs, low purchase prices, and increasing debt burdens as primary challenges for farmers. He noted that while 2026 saw improved production yields due to better climate conditions compared to the 20 million ton loss caused by drought and frost in 2025, these gains did not translate into farmer prosperity. Instead, low public purchase prices and restrictive buying conditions have forced many producers to sell their crops to traders at undervalued rates to settle bank debts totaling 1 trillion 511 billion lira.