In a bid to rejuvenate idle agricultural lands affected by earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, the General Directorate of Plant Production (BÜGEM) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry allocated a significant allowance of approximately TL 127.41 million ($4.17 million) last year.
This strategic initiative falls under a broader project aimed at supporting agricultural production in 11 provinces impacted by the seismic events.
Under the ambit of this initiative, the ministry provided targeted financial support for various crops across different provinces. Notable allocations include TL 14.3 million for sunflower, soybean, dry bean, chickpea and citrus products in Adana, while Adıyaman received TL 13.7 million for sunflower, red lentil, chickpea, wheat, melon, watermelon, tomato, pepper and eggplant cultivation. Diyarbakır, in turn, benefited from an allowance of TL 9.01 million dedicated to watermelons, melons, paddy and red lentils.
Elazığ, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa were among the provinces that saw targeted financial support for various crops, including dried beans, chickpeas, wheat, lentils, saffron, sorghum, peanuts, barley, hawthorn grafting, vine saplings and olives. Particularly, Hatay, identified as one of the provinces most affected by earthquakes, received TL 3.5 million for the cultivation of sunflowers, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, while Kahramanmaraş obtained a substantial fund of TL 23 million for chickpeas, sunflowers, soybeans, green peas, red lentils, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and cucumbers.
These crucial projects not only aimed at ensuring sustainability in the production of strategic agricultural products but also sought to support farmers in the continuation of their production. The initiatives played a pivotal role in encouraging population movement to rural areas for family vegetable cultivation and facilitating access to necessary inputs.
Producers in earthquake-affected zones were prioritized in collaboration with suppliers to secure a seamless supply chain for essential products such as seeds and fertilizers.
Additionally, robust coordination between ministry units, producer unions and cooperatives was established for various agricultural practices, including grafting, pruning, hoeing, fertilization and spraying during the spring period in key crops such as apricots, olives, pistachios and citrus fruits, predominantly located in the provinces of the region.
For the ongoing year, an impressive TL 200 million has been earmarked to bring idle lands into agriculture across the provinces in question. This substantial budget is anticipated to facilitate the cultivation of 503,000 decares of land for field crops and 6,000 decares of land for vegetable production, actively contributing to the revitalization of idle agricultural lands in these disaster-affected regions.
