Landscapes of the pathetic state of agriculture and flowers of hope

There are numerous problems regarding agricultural production in Turkey and access to food products, which are its primary output. In other words, we are dealing with the pathetic state of agriculture.

Before giving examples of "Landscapes of the Pathetic State of Agriculture," let us look at the root cause of this situation.

WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PATHETIC STATE OF AGRICULTURE?

First, with the agricultural policies implemented since the 1980s, under the guidance of multinational food and agricultural companies, corporate farming has been prioritized and encouraged with extraordinary support instead of small and medium-sized enterprises based on family labor, which make up the vast majority of businesses.

Second, farmers do not have strong organizations. Despite the existence of numerous farmer organizations, they are ineffective.

As a result of these two factors, migration from rural areas to cities began and continues. Not only has the agricultural population decreased, but the average age of farmers has reached nearly 60. Since a significant amount of land is not being cultivated, agricultural production per capita has not increased.

Please do not pay attention to those who say, "We are number one in Europe in agriculture." What matters is the increase in production per capita.

COST INFLATION IN AGRICULTURE IS AT AN UNBEARABLE LEVEL

Cost inflation in agriculture is affected by the increasing cost of inputs. Among input costs, the share of diesel, fertilizer, pesticides, and certified seeds in total costs follows a very high trajectory.

For example, according to experts, Turkey imports half of the fertilizer it consumes. However, 80-90 percent of the raw materials for the fertilizer produced in Turkey are also met through imports.

According to TUIK data, there has been a 152 percent increase in fertilizer prices in the last year. In contrast, farmers and industry representatives note that this increase is actually around 315 percent.

Recent news: The price of UREA fertilizer, which was 19 thousand 625 TL in June 2025, has increased by 38.5 percent to 27 thousand 192 TL. Well, do many people know that the largest producers are Eti Gübre (a Cengiz Holding subsidiary), Yıldızlar Entegre Holding, and Gübretaş?

AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES: INADEQUACY AND GRIEVANCE

Agricultural experts state that the mandatory provision of the Agriculture Law enacted in 2006, which stipulates that the resources allocated to the agricultural sector from the state budget should not be less than 1 percent of the gross domestic product, is not being implemented.

For example, this rate was 0.2 percent in 2024. In contrast, this share was 20 percent in the European Union, 12 percent in the USA, and 9 percent in Canada in 2024. Some ask why we even import lentils from Canada. Isn't the answer obvious?

FARMERS ARE IN A DEBT SPIRAL

According to data from the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK), the total debt of producers to banks has increased by 47 percent in the last year, rising from 631 billion TL to 927 billion TL. The debt has reached nearly 1 trillion TL. While non-performing farmer loans were 2 billion 229 million TL in February 2024, they rose to 4 billion 661 million TL in February 2025. There has also been a 2.1-fold increase in farmers' debts subject to enforcement proceedings.

FARMERS ARE ECONOMICALLY UNORGANIZED

The technical and economic fields of activity of organizations have been pitted against each other, unnecessary friction has been created, and their effectiveness in economic policy-making has remained quite limited. This is because the SHARE OF COOPERATIVES in economic organization is quite low. The Turkish average is at the 3 percent level, and this situation has condemned producers to the dominance of foreign and domestic monopolies.

In summary, while farmers try to market their products to foreign and domestic monopolies at prices far below their costs, people living in cities have also reached a point where they cannot afford these products.

THE MARKETING CHANNEL FROM FARMER TO CONSUMER IS TOO LONG

The marketing channel from farmer to consumer is very long. For example, in milk; there is the producer, collector, factory or dairy processor, wholesaler, distributor, shopping mall or grocer; in meat; there is the producer, livestock dealer, wholesale butcher, meat processor, wholesaler, distributor, butcher or shopping mall.

The reason for this is that the intermediaries involved in the channel seize the surplus value produced by the farmer. When transportation costs (5-17 percent of total energy consumption) are added to these, the consumer either reaches the product at a high price or cannot reach it at all. Do we not see the state of local markets?

THE PROBLEMS OF SEASONAL AGRICULTURAL WORKERS ARE UNBEARABLE

There are over 1 million seasonal agricultural workers in Turkey. Workers usually set out from the Southeastern Anatolia region in April and work in agricultural fields in 50 provinces in different regions of Turkey for periods ranging from 4 to 8 months. The vast majority of seasonal agricultural workers, who work by following the agricultural production calendar, are unregistered and lack social security.

Seasonal agriculture is carried out using intermediaries (labor contractors, foremen, agents). The workers' knowledge and awareness are insufficient, and their organizational capacity is almost non-existent. The workers' problems regarding housing, health, education, transportation, social exclusion, social security, and public order are unbearable.

Children suffer the most. Have you seen the children next to their parents trying to dry tomatoes under the scorching sun in Kınık district (İzmir)?

AND THE CURRENT ISSUE: THE OLIVE LAW BILL

The omnibus bill known as the "Olive Law" was brought to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in June 2025. After approximately 26 hours of committee deliberations, the proposal passed the Assembly's Industry, Trade, Energy, Natural Resources, Information and Technology Committee on June 19, 2025. It is now at the General Assembly stage. With the law intended to be enacted, olive groves are sought to be opened up for rent for mining.

In addition to the olive groves, if the omnibus bill is realized, Turkey's water resources will also be harmed.

One is reminded of a quote attributed to a Native American: "Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish has been caught, and the last river has been poisoned, will you realize that money cannot be eaten."

We add: "Are you going to eat the mine?"

AND FLOWERS OF HOPE

Against all this, the Turkish society, with its villagers and city dwellers, has been reacting for years against mining laws and the opening of pastures and agricultural lands to zoning. Because they express that the first condition of national security is water and agriculture, and therefore they must keep ecosystems alive.

The public is organizing a mental revolution that moves from being subjects to reaching citizenship consciousness.

The public is taking steps towards realizing the Republic ideal of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.