Abdullah Özdemir, President of Mersin Commodity Exchange (MTB), stated that uncultivated or fallow lands will be brought into agricultural production.
Özdemir stated that according to the decision published in the Official Gazette regarding "Support for the Activation of the Use of Agricultural Lands," supports for the year 2024 will be provided in the form of grants, with a maximum of 75% of the project cost. Emphasizing in the decision that the aim is to bring uncultivated or fallow lands into agricultural production through suitable crop rotation plans and cultivation methods, Özdemir continued as follows: "In our country, there are 202 million hectares of cultivated agricultural land. In addition, there are 30 million hectares of fallow land and 20-25 million hectares of idle land. We believe that this decision is quite appropriate in terms of increasing production and reducing dependence on imports. Similarly, the development of production of cereals, pulses, and oilseeds is also included in the scope of support. We are not self-sufficient in all three product groups. Our self-sufficiency rates are 80% for cereals, 87% for pulses, and 60% for sunflower seeds. We believe that the relevant decision aiming to increase production in these essential food items will contribute to ensuring food security and reducing food inflation. Additionally, if this decision achieves its purpose, our dependency on imports in cereals, pulses, and oilseeds, where we are net importers, will begin to decrease."