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TURKIYE AGRICULTURE
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Turkish Agricultural Policy
Turkey’s closeness to the Europe, the Middle East and the North Africa; gives
her the opportunity of accessing easily to large markets through the Black Sea
on the north, the Aegean Sea on the west and the Mediterranean Sea on the south.
Likewise, Turkey’s internal market also experiences rapid growth in demand for
more food of higher quality, due to the high rates of population growth and
rising income. Thus, agriculture in Turkey holds the promise of making a major
contribution to Turkey’s economic development.
The principal objectives of the Turkish agricultural policy are set out in
successive fiveyear development plans. These are to establish an organised,
highly competitive and sustainable agricultural sector; to provide adequate and
stable incomes for those working in agriculture; to meet the nutritional needs
of growing population considering food safety as the most important issue; to
stabilise agricultural prices to enhance productivity by ensuring the
utilisation of high quality seed and seedlings, training farmers, strengthening
producers organisations, supporting R&D activities, increasing competitiveness
of agricultural holdings and improving the marketing framework; to develop rural
areas; to prevent large stocks and keep and stabilise producer income level; to
promote the application of modern agricultural techniques and to develop the
export potential of agriculture. As a result of the latter, agricultural exports
has expanded rapidly over the last decade.
In 2001 the Agricultural Reform and Implementation Project (ARIP) supported by a
loan from the World Bank has been launched to help implementing the Turkish
Government’s agricultural reform program, which is aimed at reducing artificial
incentives and government subsidies, and implementing a new support system.
Within this project instead of price incentives and input supports, Direct
Income Support (DIS) for farmers is implemented to set up a mechanism for
identifying farmers who are eligible for payments under the DIS, and a mechanism
for delivering those payments. Other important components of the Agricultural
Reform and Implementation Project are; the Farmer Transition Support, to help
farmers make the transition to alternative activities as the governmental
supports are reduced and the Agricultural Sales Cooperatives and Agricultural
Sales Cooperatives Unions Restructuring project, to take necessary measures and
policies for the provision of sustainability. It is expected that the Project
will affect political, social and economical aspects of agriculture sector,
including natural resource use.
The agricultural policies are determined within the framework of the World Trade
Organisation Agreements and other international obligations and commitments.
Since its initial reform efforts, Turkey has made significant strides in opening
up its borders to imports and reducing controls on exports. Turkey has made
moves to harmonise its trade policies with those of the European Union and has
entered into new regional trading arrangements.
As of January 1st 1996, the date of the entry into force of the Customs Union
with the EU, Turkey has eliminated all custom duties and charges having
equivalent effect on imports of industrial products from the EU. The Customs
Union initially covers only processed agricultural products containing cereals,
sugar and milk along with industrial products. Free circulation of traditional
agricultural products between Turkey and the EU will become possible to the
extent that Turkey approximate its agricultural policy to the Common
Agricultural Policy of the EU.
Despite agriculture’s diminished role in Turkish economy, it still accounts for
a large share of total output and employment.
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