“The Real Master of the Country is the Villager”
By: Turkish Heritage Organization
Tags: Trade, Us Turkey Relations, Agriculture

“The Real Master of the Country is the Villager”

Turkey has been the land of agriculture since as early as 10,000 BC. Many recent researches show that cultivation and agriculture first started in Anatolia (also known as Asia Minor). Cybele was a strong figurine of Anatolian Mother Goddess, who was also known as the Earth Goddess, representing the fertility of the earth and women since Neolithic age. Modern Turkey has inherited the wisdom of Anatolia’s early farmers and still stands today as a country of agriculture. However, the sector is also facing some challenges such as productivity, efficiency and food inflation. What is expected of Turkey’s agriculture sector in the coming years?

Cybele, Anatolian Mother/Earth Goddess

The world is on the edge of an agricultural crisis today. Investments and technological innovations have surely boosted productivity in the last decades but food security and agricultural sustainability are threatened by population growth, rapid urbanization, food loss and waste, climate change and depletion of natural resources. Productivity growth is also hampered by the loss of biodiversity and spread of transboundary pests and diseases, some of which are becoming resistant to antimicrobials. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, some 800 million people suffer from hunger despite significant progress in reducing hunger and poverty. Business-as-usual is not seen as an option anymore. FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva cautions that “planetary boundaries may well be surpassed, if current trends continue”.

Turkey suffers from similar problems though it has its unique challenges too. A major concern today is high inflation which has largely been driven by rapidly rising food prices and currency depreciation. Food price inflation was 30% in March 2019 compared to the same month in 2018. It has been a subject of political dispute, too. Earlier this year, the authorities referred to the ones who are accused of keeping the prices artificially high as “food terrorists”. To bring prices down, the government has taken some measures including selling vegetables at around 50% of prices via municipalities.

2018 and 2019 have been particularly difficult due to storms in Turkey’s farming regions. According to expert reports, climatic challenges which are expected to intensify include temperature increases everywhere in all seasons, decreases in annual precipitation amounts in the southern parts, more precipitation events increasing the risks of flooding and increased intensity of droughts.

Leaving the climatic and currency challenges to one side, Turkey has also been suffering from some structural problems in its agricultural sector. Economic liberalization and falling tariffs since 1980s coupled with higher production costs (i.e. fertilizers, pesticides, fodder, fuel) have taken a toll on the livelihood of farmers. Small and divided lands, middle-men reaping the majority of profits and limited use of technology have contributed to the problem. In the last four decades many people in rural areas have moved to cities. Higher income through the industrial and service sectors made farming and husbandry less attractive for the villagers. The share of population employed in agriculture has fallen from 35% in 2002 to 19% in 2018.

It’s not all bad that the share of people working in higher value-added industrial/manufacturing sectors has increased while agricultural population has decreased. It’s a sign of modernization and industrialization. However, it would have been more sustainable if this pattern happened alongside increased productivity, efficiency and competitiveness in agriculture.

Despite challenges, Turkey still remains as the world’s 7th largest agricultural producer overall. It’s the world leader in production of hazelnuts, sultanas/raisins, dried figs and apricots; and largest exporter in many products including tomatoes (9th) and lemon and lime (4th). Turkey is also a leading exporter of the flour of wheat, tangerines, oranges, grapes, pasta and chicken meat. Organic farming and aquaculture have grown rapidly and Turkey now exports many organic and aquaculture products thanks to the government’s support and incentives.

Does Turkey only export tomatoes and tangerines? Not really. The country is also the world’s 5th largest olive oil producer. It’s not surprising that the wild olive tree is said to have originated in Asia Minor. Among the most well-known olives in the world may come i.e. Kalamata olives of Greece. The Spanish or Italian olive oils may carry a higher price tag but Turkey’s olives should not be ignored either. A visitor of the country may notice that a typical Turkish breakfast’s king and queen are cheese and olives. It’s the main reason why no Turk can easily settle for a piece of croissant or doughnut for breakfast. Dubbed liquid gold by the Greek poet Homer, olive oil is widely produced in the Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean regions of Turkey. The special cold-dish “zeytinyagli” (means “with olive oil”) is a stable in restaurants serving Mediterranean or traditional Turkish food. Turkish olive oil is exported to many countries including the U.S. and there are brands which are increasingly competing in international contests.

Other agricultural delicacies of Turkey which are increasingly in high demand include wild honey, ancient wheat types such as Siyez, tea, wine and cheese. Turkey is the second largest honey producer in the world with its rich flora for the bees. Anzer honey (produced in Rize) is sold for as high as $200 per kilogram due to its nutritional and medicinal qualities. The white tea produced in Rize, Turkey’s tea producing capital in the Black Sea region, is now marketed all over the world. Siyez wheat, a genetically unmodified ancient grain oft Anatolia which dates back nearly 10,000 years, is treated as the golden wheat in a world filled with genetically modified grains which are increasingly found as a cause for many health disorders. Turkish wines made with native grapes such as Okuzgozu (bull’s eye), Bogazkere (throat burner), Kalecik Karasi (Kalecik black), Narince (delicately) and Emir (ruler) receive awards from international wine contests. Not sure if there is any record of early settlers in Anatolia having enjoyed their wine with cheese but surely Turkey also has an extremely rich cheese culture with around 200 known types from goatskin cheese to Kars gruyere.

Turkish producers are trying to increase and diversify export markets from the most refined to the least. The government is helping them with various incentives and has recently pledged a project of National Unity of Agriculture which covers measures ranging from increased use of technological greenhouses to increasing animal stocks. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has a strategy to address problems around food safety, crop and animal production, plant& animal health and rural development. Increasing R&D and incentives are part of the strategy too. Turkey is hungry and ripe enough for new technologies and a new generation of young farmers using these technologies. The introduction of the wholesale market law soon would also help prevent the middlemen and improve food price stability. To achieve ambitious goals in agriculture, the institutional capacity building, coordination with related public and private institutions, a long-term strategy and political commitment are all vital.

How about the U.S.-Turkey trade in agricultural products? Currently the U.S exports soybeans, animal feed, walnuts and cotton to Turkey while Turkey mainly exports olive oil, tobacco and dried fruits according to the U.S. Turkey’s Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan. Upon her return from the U.S. trip she met with American business people together with the accompanying Turkish business delegation, who said they would work hard to reach $75bn total trade target as was agreed between President Erdogan and President Trump. The lion’s share in bilateral trade, in terms of value, would continue to consist of industrial goods but agricultural products’ share could easily increase too. Overall better relations between the two countries would be reflected on the food, the most important aspect of people’s lives and wellbeing. As Thomas Jefferson said “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness”.

*Title Quote by Ataturk