Aquaculture subsidies announced

The "Communiqué on Aquaculture Support" prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has been published in the Official Gazette and entered into force, effective from January 1, 2024.

The communiqué establishes the procedures and principles regarding aquaculture support payments to be made in 2024, 2025, and 2026 to farmers who hold an aquaculture production certificate approved by the Ministry and are registered in the Aquaculture Information System (SUBİS).

Accordingly, support will be provided to those engaged in the farming of aquatic products including trout, carp, mussels, and new species such as sturgeon, turbot, common dentex, red porgy, common pandora, dusky grouper, sharpsnout seabream, meagre, brown meagre, sargo, common seabream, meagre, yellowtail, dentex, catfish, shabut, African sharptooth catfish, eel, tilapia, crayfish, shrimp, medicinal leech, Black Sea trout, and red-spotted trout.

Producers who hold an aquaculture production certificate, engage in intensive farming of the specified species, and carry out mussel farming will receive support at the prices determined in the decision.

Producers engaged in small-scale farming in earthen ponds, primarily for domestic consumption, using groundwater extracted with electric energy or spring water without energy, will also receive support equal to the base support unit price.

For enterprises that meet the support conditions, additional technical criteria support will be provided on top of the base support amount for each technical criterion met, such as having a project capacity of 50 tons or less per year, being a member of producer unions, being a member of a first-degree agricultural organization, and utilizing closed-circuit production.

SUPPORT AMOUNT TO BE PROVIDED DIRECTLY

Producers wishing to benefit from the support must apply to the provincial/district directorate where their aquaculture facility is located for the specific aquaculture support they wish to receive.

For organized producers who will benefit from the supports included in the said communiqué, the support amount will be paid directly, provided they are members of central unions.

Public institutions and organizations will not be able to benefit from these supports.

The financing required for support payments will be covered from the Ministry's agricultural support budget within the framework of the principles specified in the Decision on Livestock Supports to be Made in 2024-2026. Payments will be made to accounts previously opened or to be opened on behalf of the producers at the relevant branches of the bank.

Since the support payments within the scope of the decision are public funds, no seizure, execution, assignment, or similar transactions can be carried out before they are transferred to the beneficiary's account.

1.50 TL SUPPORT FOR FARMING IN EARTHEN PONDS

On the other hand, according to information obtained by an AA reporter from the Ministry, with the simplified communiqué, enterprises holding an aquaculture production certificate approved by the Ministry and engaged in aquaculture activities will be supported according to the species they produce and their production methods.

In this context, a base support payment will be made per kilogram: 1.20 liras for trout-carp farming, 3 liras for the farming of new species, 1.50 liras for fish farming in earthen ponds, and 1 lira for mussel farming.

Additionally, producers with an annual project capacity of 50 tons or less may receive additional support payments ranging from 0.60 to 0.99 liras, those engaged in closed-circuit production from 2.40 to 6 liras, those who are members of producer unions from 0.04 to 0.12 liras, and those with first-degree agricultural organization membership from 0.02 to 0.06 liras.