Millions spent on an electric tractor that was never produced!

It has been revealed that the electric tractor project, launched in 2019 by the then-Minister of Agriculture Bekir Pakdemirli and shelved by his successor Minister Vahit Kirişçi, cost the state 246 million liras.

According to information compiled by CHP Karabük MP Cevdet Akay from the Court of Accounts report regarding ZY Traktör A.Ş., which was established in partnership with Ziraat Venture Capital Investment Trust (GSYO) A.Ş., the company was founded in 2019 with 59 million 950 thousand TL in capital from Ziraat GSYO for the development, production, and sale of tractors. The new company was first given an advance of 7 million TL, and another 179 million 801 thousand TL in 2023.

According to the report by Melisa Ay from Birgün, Akay, who made evaluations on the subject, said, "According to the contract, while it was supposed to be able to produce approximately 100 electric tractors per month starting from September 22, 2020, it was learned that as of the audit period, the targets set in the business plan had still not been met, and although it was committed that 25 tractors would be produced in the first phase to begin field tests, only 3 of these were 100 percent completed. A total of 246 million 751 thousand liras was transferred from 2019 to 2023 to a company that did not meet any of the provisions in the contract and did not fulfill its commitments. It is absolutely unacceptable that the state has been caused a loss of 245 million liras for a project that the report itself reflects has no possibility of being realized."

Emphasizing that the fortune spent on the imaginary project is a summary of the AKP government, Akay used the following expressions:

"According to information obtained from the Banks Association of Turkey, the credit debt of farmers to banks is 784 billion liras. When we consider that there are 2.3 million farmers registered in the Farmer Registration System, it turns out that almost none of them are debt-free. At a time when farmers are not supported and problems in the agricultural sector are compounded and increasing, the fact that a bank established to support farmers transfers resources to capital instead of supporting farmers, and that this transferred resource evaporates, is a summary of the AKP's 22 years of agricultural policies. Those responsible must be held accountable, and our national capital that has gone up in smoke must be accounted for."

News Source: 12punto