Minister Bolat announced three sectors that will never die.

21.04.2025 17:22

The Minister of Trade, Ömer Bolat, stated that there has been a leap in the agricultural sector in Turkey, saying, "Turkey is a very important agricultural country in the world; we have increased our agricultural production from 30 billion dollars to 75 billion dollars." He described the professions that will never die in the future as food, clothing, and shelter.

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Trade Minister Ömer Bolat stated, "We have increased our agricultural production from 30 billion dollars to 75 billion dollars. We raised our exports from 3.4 billion dollars in 2002 to 32.5 billion dollars. Without exports, our production could not have risen from 30 billion dollars to 75 billion dollars. Our farmers won, our consumers won, and we earned foreign currency through exports," he said.

HE REVEALED 3 SECTORS THAT WILL NOT SINK

Trade Minister Ömer Bolat participated in the 'Agricultural Diplomacy Workshop' held within the scope of the 4th Agricultural and Forestry Council. In a special session titled 'Agricultural Diplomacy in Today's World,' Minister Bolat stated, "There are three very important sectors in the world that will never die. One of the most important is food. Agriculture and food are among the most strategic and priority sectors. The second is textile and clothing. The third is housing and shelter. During the COVID-19 period, we all saw that the first sector was agriculture, that it was food. Supermarkets were emptied and filled every day. Grocery stores, supermarkets, greengrocers, everywhere was the same. During the quarantine days, we understood their importance. Then, two years later, the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, and we realized how valuable energy is. Energy, oil doubled, natural gas quadrupled within 15 days to a month, and Turkey's energy import bill rose from 45 billion dollars in 2021 to 100 billion dollars in 2022. Energy is also very important, as important as the blood in our veins," he expressed.

"OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT PURCHASING POWER"

Minister Bolat stated, "In addition to this, logistics is very important. It is crucial to bring the products from the field, from the garden, to the market, to the greengrocer, and to present them to the consumer. Alongside this, determining the rules in trade, sectoral regulations, inspections, and administrative and penal actions against those who operate outside the rules are important. As the Ministry of Trade, our aim in agricultural diplomacy is to maintain reasonable prices for consumers related to domestic trade and to protect purchasing power. Our goal for producers is to ensure that they continue their production, increase their income, and remain in production. There is an international organization called the World Trade Organization, with 166 member countries that have signed and established rules. Especially in the industrial sector, rules have been established. An agreement was made in agriculture in 1995. Accordingly, actions that disrupt the market through excessive and export subsidies in agriculture are prohibited, and the primary duty for each country is to ensure the food security of its people from the perspective of those who govern the country. Maintaining the balance between consumer and producer at reasonable prices is essential. For this reason, decisions are sometimes made to increase exports, and sometimes to ensure supply security in the domestic market by reducing exports and maintaining price balance. These are difficult decisions, and we discuss them at length. In terms of imports, if there is no supply security or if there is a supply shortage, facilities are provided for imports, but if there is a surplus, restrictions are imposed on imports. The Ministry of Trade must make these decisions within its authority," he explained.

Highlighting the importance of the Grain Agreement between Russia, Ukraine, the United Nations, and Turkey on July 23, 2023, Minister Bolat stated that 33.3 million tons of Ukrainian and Russian grain have been transported to the world. Minister Bolat said, "If that grain had not been transported, grain prices would have skyrocketed 3-4 times in the world, and the most basic necessities of people, such as wheat, flour, barley, corn, and sunflower, reached the world markets," he said.

"TURKEY IS A VERY IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL COUNTRY IN THE WORLD"

Minister Bolat stated, "Turkey is a very important agricultural country. We have increased our agricultural production from 30 billion dollars to 75 billion dollars. We raised our exports from 3.4 billion dollars in 2002 to 32.5 billion dollars. We have enabled our people to find the consumption products they need, both in terms of supply and prices, as well as in connecting producers with consumers. All countries in the world have to make restrictive or expansive decisions regarding exports and imports in situations where the security of supply of basic consumption products and supply security is at risk. The benefit of exports is this; this increased production was achieved with the momentum brought by exports. Without exports, our production could not have risen from 30 billion dollars to 75 billion dollars. Our farmers won, our consumers won, and we earned foreign currency through exports."

"WE WILL NOT LET OUR FARMERS BE HARMED, INSHALLAH"

Minister Bolat expressed that he frequently communicates with the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, stating, "I am the Minister of Trade, but I am concerned. Why? The state of agricultural production, security, of course, will reflect on consumption. These are bells ringing in our ears every day, every hour, and our follow-up on this issue is very important," he said.

"THEY DO NOT ALLOW AID STOCKS TO ENTER THE COUNTRY"

Minister Bolat pointed out that 730 million people in the world are at risk of hunger, stating, "2.3 billion people are facing food insecurity. They need three meals a day, for some two meals, but it is a continuous activity. Therefore, it is a very important situation of strategic importance. When we talk about food security or insecurity, we must never forget Gaza. Now, it is a very important situation that we should not forget in our minds. In Gaza, with a population of 2.5 million, 2 million people remain, and 60,000 of these people have been martyred. There is genocide, and there is also a genocide through hunger. It is being done in front of the eyes of the world without adhering to any civilized rules, war rules, or war law, and they are doing it through hunger. They do not allow aid stocks, aid trucks to enter the country. Since March 18, not a single kilogram of food aid has been able to enter. This is an unforgettable situation in human history."

"THE EXPORT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS FOR 2023-2024 HAS GONE WELL"

Minister Bolat stated that the export of agricultural products for 2023-2024 has gone well, noting that in 2023, there was 31 billion dollars in exports of agricultural and processed food products, and in 2024, this is expected to rise to 32.5 billion dollars with a 5.4% increase. Reminding that in 2023, there was 23.5 billion dollars in imports of agricultural and food products, he shared that in 2024, this decreased by 2.1 billion dollars to 21.4 billion dollars.

Minister Bolat reminded that the increase in exports and the decrease in imports resulted in a foreign trade surplus in the food and agriculture sector, which was 7 billion dollars in 2023, rising to approximately 11 billion dollars in 2024, stating, "Our most important markets are the European Union, Iraq, Germany, the USA, Russia, and Italy. When we look at the items, we see that among the most important items are especially our vegetable and fruit products because they are really of high quality and taste very good. In addition, there are grains, baked goods, pasta, and hard-shelled nuts, especially hazelnuts. If fresh fruits and vegetables are 2 euros per kilo, dried products are 10 euros, and in some cases, it goes up to 15 euros. To provide our people with the meat consumption they can afford at reasonable prices, last year we had an import of 626 million dollars for carcass and live cattle and fattening animals," he concluded.