Doğan: Support premium for soybean production must be increased

Yüreğir Chamber of Agriculture President Mehmet Akın Doğan stated that the premium support for soybeans has been 60 kuruş per kilogram for years, and that increasing this support would reduce foreign dependency on soybeans.
Yüreğir Chamber of Agriculture President Mehmet Akın Doğan pointed out that soybeans are one of the most important plant-based products feeding the world, saying, "After the oil is extracted, the flour or meal is very nutritious and quite rich in protein. Because of this feature, it is used extensively in the food industry. Furthermore, when soybeans are harvested, the stalks left behind by the combine harvester are baled and utilized as animal feed. Although soybeans grow in frost-free regions from planting to harvest and grow quickly due to their short plant height and low water requirements, production in our country remains very low."

"The premium support for soybeans has been 60 kuruş per kilogram for years"
Emphasizing that the country is 90 percent dependent on imports for soybeans, which is an important product for the nation, Doğan said, "Because the premium provided is low, farmers cannot make money from soybeans. Even though it is easy to grow, it is generally planted as a second crop after wheat or its production is not preferred at all. The premium support for soybeans has been 60 kuruş per kilogram for years. The support for wheat increased from ten kuruş to one lira, the support for sunflower seeds increased from fifty kuruş to one lira, and the support for cotton increased from 80 kuruş to 1 lira 60 kuruş, but there has been no increase in the premium support for soybeans. Our farmers did not find what they hoped for this year from sunflowers, corn, cotton, or citrus fruits. However, production is low for soybeans, which are very rich in protein. Only 10 percent of the country's needs are produced. If the premium support for soybeans is increased in 2024, both the oil deficit will be minimized and we will reduce our foreign dependency on soybeans," he said.