Speaking to the Anatolia news agency in Konya on Monday, Hepokur said farmers had experienced difficulties in repaying their debts due to reduced production last season and that they hope the new government support will ease the burden.
Farmers were hit by a sever drought in 2009, Hepokur said. The TZOB expected production to increase in 2010 thanks to increased government support as a remarkable part of usable land is left uncultivated.
Mentioning a recent incentive for dairy farmers, he said this had helped encourage farmers and that the government should concentrate more on regional incentives. “We need to convince farmers who refrained from cultivating their land last season to restart production.” In a bid to prevent steep drops in milk prices, the government had allocated some TL 15 million to promote the production of 5,000 tons of milk powder, to help divert the surplus production of milk away from the market.
According to Hepokur, Turkey still lags behind most EU countries in regards to modern farming and it is of the utmost importance that the government increase incentives to compensate for this gap. The TZOB official said the government should focus on upgrading the farming industry in line with latest technological developments. “This could help increase the industry’s competitive power.”
