THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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August 2026…
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Yumaklı: We are continuing our water footprint studies
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı announced that they are continuing the water footprint studies.
“We have completed our studies in the Sakarya, Susurluk, Northern Aegean, Western Mediterranean, Büyük Menderes, Aras, Çoruh and Gediz basins,” Yumaklı said.
ANKARA…
Yumaklı attended the 6th meeting of the National Water Council held at the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Yumaklı stated that the effects of climate change are being felt much more strongly all over the world, that droughts are becoming longer, rainfall patterns are changing and much more intense rainfall is occurring in a short period of time.
Highlighting that Türkiye is not exempt from this global picture, he noted, “The 2025 water year was recorded as the driest year in the last 52 years, with a 26 percent decrease in rainfall. However, in the 2026 water year, rainfall across the country is approximately 30 percent above the long-term average. We are experiencing one of the highest rainfall levels in the last 66 years.”
Pointing out that the active dam fill rate, which was around 43 percent at the same time last year, is now at 72 percent, Yumaklı said that this situation is encouraging, but they are facing floods and torrential rains in some cities.
Underlining that they will sometimes have to struggle with very little water and sometimes with a large amount of water arriving in a short time, he added, “Therefore, we must base our water policies not on saving the day, but on planning for the future. We will look at scientific data. We will evaluate our basins as a whole. We will manage both drought and floods together.”
