Does imperial capitalism have a share in the collapse of Turkish agriculture?

In my previous article titled "Is There an Alternative to the Production Deadlock in Agriculture?" I stated that "there are two main factors triggering the production deadlock in Turkish agriculture. The first of these are internal factors, and the second is imperial capitalism, or external factors," and I focused on the "Reasons for the Decline in Agricultural Production and Ways Out in Terms of Internal Factors."

In this article, we will primarily summarize the role of imperial capitalism, or external factors.

THE HISTORICAL PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING IMPERIAL CAPITALISM IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR?

Until the 1980s, the world was guided by two poles. On one side was real socialism, and on the other, imperial capitalism and its institutions were shaping the world. Until those years, imperial capitalism maintained policies to support the peasantry, or in other words, small-scale production, especially in peripheral countries.

However, its primary goal was to prevent the social opposition that might emerge, especially in peripheral countries, from turning into revolutionary movements, or more accurately, to steer them to remain within the boundaries of the system.

Starting from the early 1980s, Turkey began to implement liberalization policies in its agriculture under the pressure and guidance of organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization, which are called international but are under the control of monopoly companies in the United States and the European Union.

The main reality behind the desire to liberalize Turkish agriculture was that agricultural product and input stocks in central countries had reached very high levels, creating problems, and that agricultural monopolies, facing stagnation in their own countries, sought to occupy world markets. 

In short, it is evident that the agricultural policies implemented in Turkey are largely linked to external dynamics, globalization, or more accurately, imperialism. 

HOW WAS IMPERIAL CAPITALISM IMPLEMENTED?

• Environmental restrictions on the flow of capital, goods, and services were loosened and reduced.

• Restrictions on hot money movements were lifted.

• Outdated technology and production units were shifted to Turkey.

• Securities exchanges were established.

• Momentum was given to de-unionization.

• Public companies began to be privatized using various tools, and the process continues. In Turkey, since the 1980s, and especially gaining momentum after the 2000s, industrial, service, and agricultural public institutions such as Tekel, Seka, Petkim, Tüpraş, Türk Telekom, sugar factories, SEK, the Agricultural Supply Organization, the Feed Industry, the Fertilizer Industry, electricity distribution companies, and ports have been sold or transferred as part of privatization practices. 

• Monopolization occurred in the food sector and organized food retail, which then came under the control of foreign firms.

• The West has at times liquidated its agricultural stocks by applying high-level discounts to World Exchange Prices, which they keep under their control. However, this import has caused and continues to cause great damage to Turkish agriculture. I believe you are aware of this.Agricultural product imports reached $344.2 billion in 2024, while exports amounted to $261.9 billion.

• The deception that "there are no agricultural subsidies in the EU and the US" was made dominant in Turkey by neo-liberal institutions. In this context, certain scientists, writers, and politicians in Turkey were funded. For example, through individuals known as 'televologists,' Antonio Gramsci's saying, "If you can occupy people's brains, their hearts and hands will follow," was put into practice.

However, for the West, the agricultural sector was the most closely monitored and protected sector, primarily due to food security.

This continues to be the case today.

In summary, while protectionism remains dominant in their own agriculture, liberalization was presented as the way forward for Turkish agriculture through the impositions of the European Union and the United States, using intermediary institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization.

IS THERE A SOLUTION?

I do not want to attribute the cause of the collapse in Turkish agriculture solely to imperial capitalism or external factors. That would be an oversimplification.

The determining factors are internal.

This is possible through a political will created by the grassroots-level proposals I tried to express in my previous article, and through the governance of this political will. 

However, the role of imperial capitalism must certainly be taken into account. Creating political conditions against international agricultural and food imperialism should be one of our fundamental issues. 

Here, we must not forget the statement attributed to Henry Kissinger, an enemy of the world's nations: "Control oil and you control countries; control food and you control the people."

Does this statement not show that agriculture and food have been used as a geopolitical weapon and a tool of control in the strategy of imperial capitalism since the 20th century?(*)

(*)See: Kaymakçı, Mustafa (Ed.,) Hunger and Imperialism. İlkim Ozan Publishing, Antalya