Alarming situation in Turkey: Agricultural lands are disappearing

Agricultural lands in Turkey have decreased by 3 million hectares in the last 20 years.

Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture (TZOB) Chairman Şemsi Bayraktar, in a statement made on the occasion of Soil Day, pointed out that agricultural lands are decreasing year by year and emphasized that Turkey's total land amount, including long-lived plants, has declined from 26.6 million hectares to 23.9 million hectares over the last 20 years.

Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture Chairman Bayraktar stated, "The division of fertile agricultural lands through cooperatives and their conversion into hobby gardens further increases the fragmentation of farmland. For whatever reason, the division of agricultural lands and the creation of structures among large plots, as seen in hobby gardens, is not right."

Bayraktar said, "In metropolitan areas, lands are being divided into parcels as small as 250 square meters to establish hobby gardens. Agricultural areas are being destroyed by concrete structures such as containers, prefabricated houses, tiny houses, and pools built on these small plots. There can be no valid explanation for these developments. Although the fragmentation and division of land is prohibited under the Soil Conservation and Land Use Law, the proliferation of these hobby gardens shows that inspections are insufficient. These should be prevented by municipalities before concrete is poured onto the land." 

News Source: 12punto