Agriculture in Turkey
[1] Wheat, sugar beet, milk, poultry, cotton, vegetables and fruit are major products;[2] and Turkey is the world's largest grower of hazelnuts,[3] apricots,[2] and oregano.
[10] Despite being a major food producer, Turkey is a net wheat importer, much of it coming from Russia and Ukraine.
[a] According to the World Bank, the sector should adapt more to climate change in Turkey and make technical improvements.
[22] Then growth accelerated as more land could be cultivated because there were many more machines, such as tractors – for example due to the Marshall Plan.
[27] During the early 21st century farmers shifted to growing more profitable crops such as fruit and vegetables, instead of wheat and corn.
[29]: 38 According to the World Bank, the sector should adapt more to climate change in Turkey and make technical improvements.
[31] 14% of food was lost during agricultural processing in 2016, compared to 23% trashed by consumers before eating and 5% leftovers.
[36] At around 1300 m3 freshwater per person per year, Turkey is water-stressed and at risk of water scarcity, mainly due to wasteful irrigation.
[40] Desertification has been modelled and the risk has been mapped,[35] showing that high-risk regions are Karapınar, Aralık, Ceylanpınar and Lake Tuz basins.
[41] Solar power is occasionally used to pump water to combat drought,[42] which can reduce planting of crops such as corn and potatoes.
[39] Shrinking lakes have been blamed both on reduced precipitation due to climate change and incorrect crops using more water, such as corn and sugar beet.
[69] Wheat, sugar beet, cotton, vegetables and fruit are major crops;[2] and Turkey is the world's largest grower of hazelnuts,[3] apricots,[2] oregano[4] and raisins.
[89] Although banana cultivation in the Mediterranean region is increasing,[90] some farmers are switching to avocados as they are more profitable because they need less water.
[101] The agriculture ministry is encouraging planting more almond and commercial walnut trees, as national supply does not meet domestic demand.
[112] The main animal feed crops are alfalfa, silage corn, oats, vetch, and sainfoin.
[120] In 2021, US$1.2 billion worth of farmed fish were exported,[6] and Turkey was the world's top producer of seabass and seabream.
[126] Various tech is being considered, sometimes similar is already being made in local factories, for example the defence industry makes drones.
[131] Biostimulants have been suggested to increase drought resistance and food security, as has technology to use water more efficiently.
[134] Examples of good practice suggested by the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) include reduced ploughing, low fertiliser use, mulching, and nitrogen inhibitors.
[9] Despite being a major food producer, Turkey is a net wheat importer, with much of it coming from Russia and Ukraine.
In 2023 Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek said he would like to restart negotiations on the "low-hanging fruit" of extending the EU Customs Union Agreement to agricultural products, which had come to a halt in 2018;[137] as of 2023[update] the agreement only applies to processed agricultural products.
[132] In 2023 the EU complained that Turkey was restricting imports and said it should improve food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy.
But import tariffs average over 40% so it would be hard to add agriculture to the EU customs union.
[150] TÜSİAD say that Turkey needs a good climate change adaptation strategy to cope with effects such as drought.
[150] Input costs could be reduced by replacing some diesel use with solar power, but as of 2022 agrivoltaics is only allowed on agriculturally marginal land.
[28] Problems include small farm sizes, rising import costs and natural resource depletion such as soil.
[157] It has been claimed that with the influx of Syrian refugees seasonal agricultural work became more precarious, especially for women and children.
[40] Diesel and fertilizer payments were made, which may make the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2053 more difficult.
[40] According to environmental group Doğa the subsidies for water intensive crops such as corn and sugar beet endanger wetlands in Turkey.
[166] Despite subsidies farmers' fuel and fertilizer costs increased a lot in 21/22 due to international price rises and the fall in the lira.
