MEHMET TAŞAN: FOOD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STRATEGIC ITEM OF TODAY

Underlining that food is “the most important strategic item and even a weapon of the time”, President of Agricultural Development Foundation (TAK-VA) Mehmet Taşan said, “If we cannot leave the land empty and produce, we will face hunger.” Taşan, who is also an engineer of agriculture, told that what could be done in agriculture, the importance of which has become more prominent with the coronavirus epidemic.

What is the importance of agriculture with coronavirus?

There are very important lessons to be drawn from the coronavirus outbreak. First of all, with this epidemic, it turned out how human beings are incapable of an invisible virus in a period called 'global world', when borders are lifted and our whole life is connected to technology. As can be understood from the statements of the authorities that 'nothing will be the same from now on', the priorities of people and countries will also be reshaped. Agriculture will be more important especially because of the food issue. Food is the most important strategic item of our age, even its weapon. We have seen in this crisis that besides sectors such as health and safety, food and agriculture are so important.

Turkey has a real potential...

Agriculture is a field of activity worked 7/24. There is no holiday, no leave. When epidemic diseases occur, the first suggestions of the experts are to use it if there is medication and to have adequate along with balanced nutrition right after it. Hunger, malnutrition and thirst are the primary problems of today. With the spread of epidemics, countries around the world stop exporting agricultural products and have to return to their own resources. Turkey meets their needs significantly in terms of agricultural production is one of the few countries in the world. Our country has the richest gene resources in the world with approximately 12 thousand plant species. about 4 thousand of them are endemic plant species that grow only in Turkey. Our country has the potential to produce self-sufficient agricultural products with the suitability of climate, soil, topography and the presence of approximately 24 million hectares of agricultural land and 14 million hectares of pastures and 22 million hectares of forests.

We might stay hungry if we don't produce...

President Erdogan said, "No land will be left empty." How will this happen?

Approximately 4.5 million hectares of agricultural land are left fallow every year due to the lack of irrigation. There are still empty unfinished treasure lands close to this amount. The irrigated area can be increased by 5-6 million hectares with pressurized irrigation systems.


With irrigation, efficiency and productivity increase 2 times. In this case, our country's crop problems will be solved at least in the medium term. In order not to leave the producers' land empty during this period of infectious disease, firstly, determining the farmers who can process their land by themselves, to enable them to make agricultural production, to establish the places of old producers who have difficulties in processing their lands and to make bulk processing by establishing private agricultural companies or to replace certain companies TİGEM (General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises), Agricultural Credit Cooperatives, agricultural production cooperatives, agricultural sales cooperative unions (TARİŞ, ANTBİRLİK, TRAKYA BİRLİK, KARADENİZ BİRLİK, PANKOBİRLİK) should have temporary construction, planting and maintenance works. Otherwise, we will face hunger if we leave the land empty and not produce.

We should pull down the age of 57... 

Should agriculture be made again in the lands used outside of agriculture?

We should also cultivate about 2.5-3 million hectares of land, still in the hands of the treasury, which are often not cultivated, by opening them to irrigated agriculture.

With what strategy will the land be harvested? So what kind of planning should be done?

The project that the Ministry of Agriculture worked on in 2016-2017 should be revised and implemented by overcoming the legal problems regarding the cultivation of agricultural lands that belong to both the treasury and private property. We have to make it productive and profitable in order not to leave the agricultural land empty.

For this purpose, diversifying agricultural product markets and making products easy to sell at their price, bringing young and educated entrepreneurs to agricultural production carries much importance.

Adding young farmers to producers who are still around 57 years old is also very important.

Including agricultural enterprises for engineers, veterinary surgeons and technicians who cannot find jobs in the public and private sectors is necessary to encourage them to make production in farming industry.

'Young Farmers Project' run by the ministry should be developed in order to add young and educated agricultural people to agricultural production. Additional support should be provided to the project, including engineers (agriculture, food, aquaculture, forestry, industrial engineers), veterinarians and technicians who are unable to find jobs in the public and private sectors. Thus the education level of the farmers, whose average age is still around 57, can be heightened and the age level is rejuvenated.

Source: www.yenisafak.com.tr