21.02.2026 20:40
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made important statements at the iftar program with farmers at the Haliç Congress Center. Erdoğan, who gave good news to farmers, said, "We will make a payment of 81 billion liras in March to those engaged in plant production." Erdoğan also provided good news to small livestock breeders, stating, "We will cover the monthly maintenance and feeding support of 180 thousand liras for 15 thousand annually. Our producers will be able to use interest-free loans from Ziraat Bank. These loans will be interest-free for up to 2 years."
Speaking at the iftar program with farmers, President Erdoğan stated, "We will make a payment of 81 billion lira to those engaged in plant production in March."
President Erdoğan made important statements at the iftar program with farmers at the Haliç Congress Center. In his statements, Erdoğan also listed good news for farmers.
"WE WILL MAKE A PAYMENT OF 81 BILLION LIRA"
Giving good news to farmers, Erdoğan said, "Starting from March 6, we will transfer 81 billion lira in support payments to our farmers' accounts within a month. May it be beneficial. We are also bringing drought-resistant, high-nutritional value saltbush to our pastures. We are continuing our investments in organized agricultural regions, such as Organized Industrial Zones, at full speed. We have started production in 14 organized agricultural regions. This year, we will begin production for the first time in 5 more regions."
GOOD NEWS FOR SMALL RUMINANT BREEDERS
Erdoğan also provided good news for small ruminant breeders, stating, "We will cover the monthly maintenance and feeding support of 180,000 lira per year for these animals. Our producers will be able to use interest-free loans from Ziraat Bank for financing. These loans will have a grace period of up to 2 years and repayment options of up to 7 years. We will cover the insurance of the small ruminants that our producers will acquire for 1 year. In this project, we will prioritize women and young producers. We will give priority to young people who have graduated from veterinary medicine, agriculture, and food engineering. To support small ruminant farming, we will provide 150,000 small ruminants to our producers under favorable conditions. We will cover the monthly feeding support of 15,000 TL for these animals," he said.
11 BILLION LIRA SOURCE FOR 11 PROVINCES
President Erdoğan's statements are as follows: "We made a payment of 47 billion lira to all producers affected by the agricultural frost in April last year. Unfortunately, recently, some of our provinces were affected by hail, tornadoes, and floods. I wish them a speedy recovery. Changing climate conditions and global warming indicate that such events will continue. I invite you all to definitely get agricultural insurance. We cover 70% of the premium payments as the state. We have implemented a new investment package for the earthquake zone. We will spend the 11 billion lira source to strengthen production in our 11 provinces.
"AGRICULTURE HAS NOT ENDED IN TURKEY"
Although some tie all their hopes to this, agriculture has not ended in Turkey, and hopefully, it will never end. In fact, our country will set many more records in the agricultural sector. But those who promise free tractors to every farmer in the fields that have ended, and then pull a sponge over them, will be the elitist mentality that asks if my vote is the same as the vote of the shepherd on the mountain. There will be jacobins who cannot tolerate the free living of the nation in the public sphere.
Ensuring that our citizens have access to healthy, quality, and reliable food is among our top priorities. Our ministries are constantly conducting inspections in the field. Just as we punish those who commit fraud in food, we are now also exposing them instantly. Additionally, we made the QR code application mandatory in food and beverage service establishments such as restaurants and cafes starting last year. With the application we named B Prescription, the amount of plant protection product to be used for each product will be determined and sales will be made accordingly.
"THE PATH TO A STRONG TURKEY PASSES THROUGH AGRICULTURE"
Just last year, the total support we provided to the sector, including direct support, credit support, investment allocations, intervention purchases, and export supports, reached 706 billion lira. In 2026, this figure will reach 939 billion lira. We will support our producers with a massive amount reaching 1 trillion lira. We will be by your side, stating that the path to a strong Turkey passes through strong agriculture.
"WE ARE THIRD IN THE WORLD AND SECOND IN EUROPE"
The claim that agriculture has ended in Turkey, which has become a mantra for the opposition, is denied not only by the sector but also by international organizations. We will always be by your side with the belief that the path to a strong Turkey passes through strong agriculture. Thank God, 606 varieties of agricultural products are grown in our blessed homeland. In many of these, we are in a position to meet our own needs. The claim that "agriculture has ended in Turkey," which has become a mantra for the opposition, is denied not only by the realities of the sector but also by international organizations. According to these reports, Turkey ranks first in Europe in agricultural output and seventh in the world. We are third in vegetable production and fourth in fruit production worldwide. We are among the top three in the production of 21 plant products. In milk production, we are ninth in the world and third in Europe.
"WE HAVE BROUGHT OUR COUNTRY TO A VERY GOOD PLACE IN AGRICULTURE"
We have raised our agricultural output from 24.5 billion dollars in 2002 to 79.1 billion dollars in 2024. In the last 23 years, we have provided an external trade surplus of approximately 117 billion dollars in agriculture. We are among the top 10 countries in the world in another area that is frequently subject to disinformation, which is seeds. We export seeds to 117 countries. We have increased the number of ancestral seed varieties to 49. Despite all the difficulties, various challenges, and adverse conditions caused by the climate crisis, we have brought our country to a very good place in agriculture.