Doğancan Çelik

Agricultural Potential of Turkey

Turkey’s agricultural sector is a vital player in the global market, thanks to its fertile land and thriving agricultural industry. The country’s abundant supply of sunflowers, lentils, olives, wheat, hazelnuts, peanuts, and apricots is exported to various parts of the world, establishing Turkey as a crucial supplier. One of the key factors contributing to Turkey’s agricultural success is its favorable land conditions, temperate climate zone, and diverse landforms, which results in high endemism diversity. Additionally, the region benefits from over forty rivers and numerous lakes, making it a favorable location for irrigation activities. The Turkish government plays a pivotal role in supporting the country’s agriculture by implementing policies that promote regional development projects and encourage the growth of the industry. This supportive structure continues to bolster Agricultural Potential of Turkey and ensures that it remains a dominant player in the global market.

With the industrial development and organization in recent years, it continues to reduce its dependence on foreign countries by recording essential developments in the tractor, agricultural equipment, and fertilizer sectors. With an agricultural structure that can feed a population exceeding 80 million, in future Turkey is expected to be one of the important production centers in the world. Anatolia boasts several exceptional agricultural regions with highly productive delta plains. The largest of these is Çukurova in the Mediterranean, which yields an abundance of soybeans, groundnuts, corn, citrus fruits, fresh vegetables, and fruits.

Agricultural Production Statistics in Turkey in 2022

In 2022, the Turkish Statistical Institute reported that agriculture was cultivated across 38,463 hectares of land. Compared to the production data of the last 20 years, the year with the most planting was 2004 with 41,210 hectares. In 2022, 16,487 hectares were used for cereals and other plant areas and 3,675 hectares were used for fruit, beverage, and spice plants. 

In 2022, the production of grapes was 4,165,000 tons, apples 481,7500 tons, olives 2,976,000 tons, oranges 1,322,000 tons, and hazelnuts 765,000 tons. When the data of the last 20 years is looked at, the highest production of grapes was in 2011 (4,296,351 tons), the highest production of oranges was in 2017 (1,950,000 tons) and the highest production of hazelnuts was in 2008 (800,791 tons). Apples and olives reached the highest production amount in 2022 in the last 20 years. 

Over the past 34 years, the highest production of tea in Turkey was recorded in 2021, with 1,453,964 tons, while 1,300,000 tons were produced in 2022. As for spice production in 2022, 273,846 tons of red pepper, 5,878 tons of anise, 8,130 tons of cumin, 44,358 tons of thyme, 10,089 tons of black cumin (oregano), and 2,323 tons of fennel were produced.

In the same year, 190,000 tons of almonds, 765,000 tons of hazelnuts, 335,000 tons of walnuts, 80,200 tons of chestnuts, and 239,289 tons of pistachios were produced in the hard-skinned fruits category. As for citrus fruits, 1,322,000 tons of oranges, 1,865,000 tons of tangerines, 1,323,000 tons of lemons, 198,000 tons of grapefruits, and 2,808 tons of pomelos were produced in 2022. In 2022, the cereal production in Turkey was 19,000,000 tons of wheat, 8,500,000 tons of barley, 8,500,000 tons of corn, 2,550,000 tons of sunflower, 2,750,000 tons of cotton, and 19,000,000 tons of sugar beet. In legumes, 580,000 tons of chickpeas, 400,000 tons of red lentils, 45,000 tons of green lentils, 270,000 tons of dried beans, 6,686 tons of broad beans, and 2,307 tons of lupine were produced in 2022.

In the category of oilseeds, 155,000 tons of soybeans, 186,340 tons of peanuts, 17,366 tons of sesame, 30,000 tons of sunflower, 150,000 tons of rapeseed, 1,650,000 tons of cottonseed, 8 tons of flax, 159 tons of hemp, and 12,240 tons of poppy were produced in 2022.

The Ancestral Seed Project

The local seed project was launched in 2019 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to systematically and consciously transfer the rich plant diversity of Anatolia to the future. Anatolia is a region with a high plant diversity due to the variety of its terrain shapes. It is not uncommon for producers to cultivate Anatolian-specific plant species that have been passed down from previous generations. The Ancestral Seed project aims to certify these seeds, increase their productivity, adapt them for industrial agriculture, and integrate them into the economy.

Online Training

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is introducing Turkish farmers to evolving and changing agricultural irrigation and improvement techniques through regional offices or online training. On a platform called Agricultural Forest Academy, online training is provided on various topics such as drainage, salinity, and land improvement, soil tillage techniques, drip irrigation systems, tractors used in agriculture, soil sample collection, organic farming practices, lentil farming, chickpea farming, pomegranate farming, apricot diseases, biological control of plant bacterial diseases, tropical fruit cultivation, important peach diseases, and many other topics with certified training. 

In addition to the training, access to 21800 books, 224 Ottoman sources, 2690 magazines, 7466 e-books, 5102 articles, and 816 theses is available from the relevant ministry’s website through online libraries. The training is not only about how to produce, but also includes education on animal production, food nutrition, consumer awareness, agricultural tourism, laws related to agriculture and forestry, occupational health and safety in agriculture, and climate change. Agricultural TV is a channel where interviews with producers are conducted, producer and consumer problems are shared, and agricultural education programs are included. The tools established for informing farmers about developments in the world show that Turkey places importance on agriculture as a strategic issue. The goal is to promote sustainability and modern agricultural practices through instruction from preeminent professors and experts in the field.

Result

When examining Turkey’s Agricultural Production Statistics for 2022, it is evident that the country’s diverse range of products, coupled with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s incentives, makes it a significant agricultural producer on the global stage. Boasting advanced technical infrastructure and supply chains, Turkey is poised to further develop its agricultural production capabilities. State policies aimed at promoting “sustainable agriculture and increasing efficiency” are bolstered by initiatives such as sustainable agricultural practices, an uptick in farmers practicing organic agriculture, the Ata Seed project, training led by the Ministry, regional agricultural offices, and online agricultural libraries. Channels aimed at enhancing efficiency and disseminating the latest developments in agriculture to farmers position Turkey as an increasingly important producer in the years ahead, making it an attractive production center for foreign producers.