PRODUCTION IN THE SHADE OF KORONA

The farmer from Antalya, who opened the production season in the shadow of the coronavirus epidemic, is trying to prepare his greenhouses and gardens for new conditions despite all difficulties in supply. Sector representatives saying “If the farmer does not plant his product, life stops”, they want production to be supported.

Antalya, TURKEY Kovid-19 while the farmland in the fight against the epidemic is being done in preparation for a busy production season. The producer, who sows the seeds of the new era in the soil, makes spraying, renews its greenhouses, changes the production environment in the highlands from winter precautions to summer conditions, challenges the difficult conditions of the epidemic. Stating that the worst possible scenario is for the farmer to say ‘there is an epidemic’ and stop planting, the sector representatives from Antalya want the incentives for agriculture to be implemented quickly.

OUR EYES WITH SEEDLING SUPPORT

Stating that they learned that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forest prepared a report on seedling support to farmers and submitted it to the Ministry of Finance, Antalya Chamber of Agriculture President Nazif Alp stated that the sector’s eyes are on this report awaiting signature. Alp said, “Now is the time for planting in agricultural areas. On the one hand, greenhouses are being prepared, on the other hand, summer conditions are passed. Support is very important for the farmer to fulfill routines such as seedling planting, irrigation and spraying. The nomadic beekeepers who are currently staying on the beach must also go to the blooming places and feed their hives. “If the production of fruit and vegetables and the cultivation of bees used in greenhouses is disrupted, the producer’s year-long effort will be wasted” he warned.

WE ASKED AN ADDITIONAL DELAY FROM THE MINISTER

Explaining the details of the teleconference meeting of Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli with the farmers from Antalya, Nazif Alp said: “Minister Bey heralded that the debts in agriculture were delayed for 3 months without interest. I took the floor at the meeting ‘This postponement is not enough, debts should be postponed for 1 year without interest. New loans to be given to the farmer should also be interest-free. Support Antalya agriculture. As producers from Antalya, we meet the food needs of 83 million. This city, where production is made for 12 months, is the country’s food warehouse. We have to protect this feature, “I said. In this process, when it was understood that the product was as valuable as gold, agriculture awareness was raised. We saw that we cannot attribute hope to imports. ”

SOLUTION LONG-TERM INTEREST-FREE CREDIT

Vural Şahin, the head of the Antalya Branch of the Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, stated that he could not find the opportunity to speak in order to convey the demands of the members during his meeting with Minister Pakdemirli and said, “We have to produce in all conditions. The preciousness of wheat to sugar beet production became more evident as the need arose. In this process, it became much more difficult for the farmer to supply his seeds, fertilizers, medicines and deliver his crops to the consumer. It is a vital need to give long-term interest-free loans to seed producers, pharmaceutical dealers and all agricultural enterprises in order to prevent interruption in production. ”

ORGAN OFFICE HOURS

Şahin continued his words as follows: “The cost burden of those in the sector should be eased with incentive packages. The state should reactivate the arrangement sales it made before in this process. Food, masks, gloves and cologne should be distributed to farmers. The working hours of all stakeholders of the agricultural sector should be regulated to be open between 9.00 and 17.00 on weekdays and closed on weekends. Hygiene measures should be taken in Antalya Wholesale Market, and protective health equipment should be provided at the entrance and exit. “