08.12.2025 16:50
The leader of the DEVA Party, Ali Babacan, drew attention to the increasingly growing debt problem in Turkey in recent times. Babacan stated, "The debt spiral affecting large segments of society cannot be allowed to deepen any further. It is time, and has long been time, for the restructuring of credit card and consumer loan debts; the bank debts of farmers, tradespeople, and SMEs; as well as tax and insurance premium debts."
DEVA Party Chairman Ali Babacan, during his visit to the Konya Sugar Factory, stated that Turkey's agricultural policies need to be urgently renewed. Babacan noted that half of the money allocated for interest in the 2026 budget could complete all irrigation projects in the country.
"EUROPE HAS THE LARGEST AGRICULTURAL LANDS, BUT WE ARE EXPERIENCING SCARCITY"
During his visit to the Konya Sugar Factory in the Çumra district of Konya, DEVA Party Chairman Ali Babacan toured the facilities with Pankobirlik Chairman Ramazan Erkoyuncu. Expressing his satisfaction with the work being done, Babacan emphasized the need for a radical change in Turkey's agricultural policy.
Babacan stated that Turkey, which has fertile lands, is unable to be self-sufficient in agriculture due to wrong policies, saying, "Europe has the largest agricultural production lands, but unfortunately, we are experiencing scarcity in abundance and poverty in wealth."
"ALL IRRIGATION PROJECTS CAN BE COMPLETED WITH HALF OF THE INTEREST BUDGET"
Pointing out the 2026 budget being discussed in Parliament, Babacan said that with half of the 2 trillion 700 billion lira allocated solely for interest expenses, all irrigation projects in Turkey could be completed.
Sharing the cost of irrigation investments, Babacan stated: "Dams, ponds, transmission lines, pressurized closed systems, sprinklers, and drip irrigation... When you add all of these up, the need is 1 trillion 300 billion lira. This can be completed in a maximum of five years."
"FOOD SECURITY IS A STRATEGIC ISSUE"
Highlighting the importance of food security and food reliability, Babacan cited the example of Japan, explaining that every country must protect its own production capacity:
"Even Japan, one of the largest economies in the world, must produce the rice it consumes. Turkey must quickly transition to a self-sufficient agricultural model."
Babacan emphasized that agricultural policies should be prepared in consultation with farmers, agricultural industrialists, and sector representatives, stating that a new and rational perspective is needed.
"500 METERS ARE DUG FOR WATER IN KONYA PLAIN"
Noting that the water crisis is deepening in the Konya Plain, as it is across Turkey, Babacan stated that sufficient water cannot be found without drilling down to 500 meters in newly opened wells.
Warning that if the current trend continues, agricultural production could become impossible within a few years, Babacan said, "On one hand, agricultural policy, and on the other hand, water management will be the most strategic issue in the coming years."
"THE TIME FOR DEBT RESTRUCTURING HAS COME"
Additionally, Babacan quoted a news report from Yozgat where pigeons were seized due to debt, stating, "The debt spiral affecting large segments of society cannot be allowed to deepen any further. It is time to restructure debts in credit card and consumer loan debts; in the debts of farmers, tradesmen, and SMEs to banks; and in tax and social security premium debts."