ÖZKAN TAŞPINAR: WE CONSIDER THE CEREAL INTERVENTION PRICES AS POSITIVE

Press release...

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the wheat purchase price of 2020 products. Grain intervention purchase price was announced before harvest just like last year. Accordingly, the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) will take from the producer red and white hard bread wheat from 1,650 lira per ton, barley from 1,275 lira, durum wheat from 1,800 lira, rye, oatmeal and triticale from 1,250 lira.

The announced prices are compared to last year; increased 24.4 percent in durum wheat, 22.2 percent in bread wheat and 16 percent in barley.

There was no rise in the amount of premium increased from 5 kurush per kilo to 10 kurush last year. For the 2020 product, 10 kurush per kilo support support premium will be paid to the farmer.

In addition to these prices, our farmer will receive an additional income of 230 liras per ton with diesel, fertilizer, certified seeds and other supports, together with 10 kurush per kilo premium.

Noting that the announced prices are intervention prices, National Grain Council (UHK) Chairman Özkan Taşpınar said that this should be considered as a message to the market.

Taşpınar explained, "Crop will be traded above these prices in free markets and exchanges. According to a yield increase updated report looks at the world and Turkey. Furthermore, with the additional support of 230 liras per ton, our wheat producer will receive 1900-2000 liras per ton. We can say that the cereal intervention prices are positive in this respect."

Stating that the premium support, which was 5 kurush in a kilo last year, was increased to 10 kurush a kilo and added support which started to warm our farmer to wheat cultivation, Taşpınar said, "It is the greatest danger that wheat cultivation area, which was 9 million hectares ten years ago, has decreased to 7 million hectares until last year. Turkey, based on the raw wheat flour, pasta, exports of products such as wheat has an important place in the world. Turkey exports the imported wheat by processing and turning into a finished product, therefore our country is gaining foreign currency. We want to meet the raw material needs of the products we export at the highest rate domestically and support our own farmers, not the farmers of other countries. In the new season, supporting the farmers with inputs and rising the premium support of the strategically important wheat to at least 20 kurush, it will heighten our wheat yield depending on the cultivation areas."

Emphasizing that it would be in the interests of farmers to use licensed warehouses, Taşpınar added, "In case the products are delivered to licensed warehouses, in addition to 2 percent withholding, 2 percent social security premium deduction exemption, 25 liras transportation support per ton, 25 liras analysis support per vehicle, warehouse rental fee support will be in use."

"There are advantages such as cash payment with Ziraat Bank and Agricultural Credit Cooperatives, up to 75 percent of the product price, with the possibility of using zero-interest 9-month loan. By the way I wish that the new harvest season would be beneficial to the farmers, industrialists, traders and end consumers," Taşpınar concluded...