Farmers have been handed 11.5 million seedlings in the quake-hit Şahinbey district of Gaziantep province in southern Türkiye as part of a project to promote sustainability in agriculture.

The plants, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, melons, watermelons, cucumbers, wheat, barley, peanuts and olive trees, were distributed by the municipality, which has been credited with ample support to farmers in the district.

Launching the initiative on Monday, Şahinbey Mayor Mehmet Tahmazoğlu noted: "Six years ago, the number of registered farmers was 3,800, and now it has reached 8,280. This shift is very important for sustainable growth in agriculture; and for this reason, local seeds and seedling varieties, compatible with the conditions of the country and conducive to high-quality yields, are being distributed to the producers."

Drawing attention to the importance of quality and region-compatible seeds in production, he said: "There is a 400% increase in the production of wheat and barley. Since last year, we have distributed 15,000 tons of lentils, 15,070 tons of fertilizers, 38,000 tons of animal feed support, 8 tons of clover Italian grass, 750,000 olive saplings and 150,000 pistachio saplings. The total number of seedlings reached 33 million approximately."

Emphasizing farmers' willingness to work in line with the conditions in the region, Tahmazoğlu added: "Farms are essential sites of social and economic regeneration, where communities are empowered with the tools to implement sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. They are best situated to co-create a local food system that addresses their particular social and environmental needs."

Meanwhile, Muhtar Demir, a local farmer, expressed his gratitude to the mayor for his services and support to farmers as being invaluable.

Among the speeches in the distribution ceremony, Gaziantep Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Mehmet Karayılan also appreciated the metropolitan and municipalities for unprecedented support in the country with agricultural projects, while Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin said, "We are at the turning point of sustainable farming and agriculture."

The seedlings were distributed among farmers after the speeches.