THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Important emphasis on agriculture sector by the World Bank Country Director for Türkiye!
Humberto Lopez, World Bank Country Director for Türkiye, drew attention to the importance of the country’s agricultural sector and stated that 15 percent of the labour force is in this sector and that it provides an annual income of 28 billion dollars. Lopez also emphasised the need to increase productivity in agriculture and expressed the importance of seeking solutions to issues such as water shortage and climate change.
Pointing out that the agriculture sector covers 15 percent of the labour force in Türkiye and generates 28 billion dollars of income together with exports every year. When we look at the figures, we can see how important this sector is,” Lopez said.
Referring to the problems in forestry, water and agriculture, Lopez stated that agriculture is not important in some countries, especially in Europe, but on the contrary, the agricultural sector is very important for Türkiye.
Indicating the importance of digitalisation for the agricultural sector, Lopez noted that it is necessary to draw attention to water problems and that infrastructure works are one of the important issues of the sector.
“As the World Bank, we work with the Ministry of Agriculture in many areas such as agriculture, production and climate change,” Lopez reminded.
Giving information about the work carried out by the World Bank in the country, Lopez made evaluations about the problems arising from climate change.
“We are the first generation to feel the problems of climate change and the last generation to do something about it. Therefore, we need to gather together and do something about it, especially in the agricultural sector. Türkiye is a very important country in the field of water. The water has decreased a lot and the reserves in this country have also decreased,” Lopez added.
Highlighting that the process of facing this scarcity is beginning, Lopez concluded, “We see that Türkiye’s annual average temperature averages remain higher than the global average. Therefore, it is predicted that the expected water levels in the country will be lower. It is also foreseen that water will decrease by 20 percent in 2050. A 20 percent decrease in water means that we will have many problems. Therefore, we need to work quickly to solve them.”
