Turkish agricultural security and production concerns

Şemsi Bayraktar, President of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture (TZOB), has advocated for treating agriculture as a matter of national security. In early October, Bayraktar called for the establishment of strategic security stocks for agricultural products to mitigate risks from rising oil prices and regional conflicts. He also highlighted the need for agricultural cooperatives to address the significant price gap between producers and retail markets.

By late October, during a visit to citrus orchards in Hatay, Bayraktar noted that while citrus yields have been highly productive this year, increased production has created marketing challenges. He reiterated the necessity of maintaining strategic stockpiles and creating new markets to protect against global instabilities, such as conflicts in the Black Sea region, which disrupt logistics and product marketing.

The situation has escalated into a severe economic crisis for producers in the citrus and grape sectors. In the Çukurova region, citrus farmers are struggling with high costs for fertilizer, fuel, electricity, and labor, leading some to leave products on trees because they cannot cover expenses or manage debts to Ziraat Bank. Similarly, in Manisa’s Sarıgöl district, grape producers report that diesel and fertilizer costs have nearly doubled while sale prices have dropped, forcing some to discard harvests in streams and vineyards.

Political figures have proposed various interventions. CHP Member of Parliament Dr. Müzeyyen Şevkin has called for urgent government intervention and the restructuring of agricultural loans, while Özgür Özel, leader of the Yeni Parti, proposed a seven-point solution plan including tax reductions on inputs and interest relief on bank loans. Bayraktar continues to emphasize that agriculture is a matter of national security, calling for strategic stockpiling and increased support to ensure farmers remain active in the field.