THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Türkiye’s Eastern Mediterranean province of Adana’s district Yüreğir Chamber of Agriculture President Mehmet Akın Doğan said that the VAT exemption applied in fertiliser and feed should also be applied to agricultural pesticides or the VAT rate should be reduced.
THE VAT EXEMPTION APPLIED IN FERTILISER AND FEED SHOULD ALSO BE APPLIED FOR AGRICULTURAL PESTICIDES…
Yüreğir Chamber of Agriculture President Mehmet Akın Doğan pointed out that pesticides, which have various benefits in agricultural production, are the biggest expense item of farmers; the VAT exemption applied in fertiliser and feed should also be applied for pesticides or the VAT rate should be reduced.
“Increasing input prices in recent years have been challenging farmers. The sustainability of the agricultural sector, which has a strategic importance in many aspects, ensures the food security of societies. Agricultural activities provide employment opportunities for many people in villages and rural areas. It is of great importance for the protection of natural resources,” he says.
“Agricultural production is one of the economic foundations of our country and having our own food production can reduce external dependence and escalate the security of the country. Producers of the agricultural sector, which is important in every respect, should always be supported, should get rid of financial difficulties, and should focus only on production,” he notes.
MOST OF THE PRODUCERS PRACTICE GOOD AGRICULTURE…
Emphasising that producers pay more than all of their annual fertiliser, seed, diesel, electricity and labour costs for pesticides and that the biggest input cost of farmers is pesticides, Doğan explains, “Most of our farmers are practising good agricultural practices. In order to ensure that there are no residues in the products grown, licensed, light pesticides that do not harm human health and whose effect is reduced are used and continuous spraying is carried out. This practice also hikes the cost of producers. For example, forty per cent of the total cost of citrus fruits consists of pesticides.”
“In agricultural production, which constitutes a strategic basis in terms of the welfare of societies, food health, economic stability and protection of environmental balance, our farmers expect our Ministry of Agriculture to reduce the most important input cost such as pesticides, VAT regulation and the state support given to the Mediterranean fruit fly trap to be given to pesticides,” he adds…
