Turkey farming
Agriculture – the occupation of the majority of Turks – still an important sector of the economy in the mid-1990s, although industrial production rose. Turkey’s fertile soil and hard working farmers make the country one of the few in the world that is self-sufficient in terms of food. Turkey’s great variety of climates and adequate rainfall permit a broad range of cultures. Agriculture is carried out throughout the country, although less frequently in the eastern mountainous regions, where the livestock is the main activity. In the mid-1990s accounted for about two thirds of the crop and the animals, the combined contribution of one third of the gross value of agricultural production, forestry and fisheries, a minimal amount.
The share of agriculture in total income has fallen progressively decline of almost 50 percent of GDP in 1950 to around 15 percent of GDP by 1993. In the same period, the sector grew only 1 percent fell faster than the population of the country, and food production per capita in absolute terms. The relatively poor performance of the agricultural sector against part of government policy made that rapid industrialization had a national priority since the 1930s. In addition, farmers were slow to adopt modern techniques, with agricultural production suffers from insufficient mechanization, limited use of fertilizer, excessive fallow and unexploited water resources. The result has low yields.
Despite the relative decline in agriculture in the 1980s as a percentage of GDP, the industry played an important role in foreign trade. Turkey enjoys a comparative advantage in many agricultural products and exports of cereals, pulses, industrial crops, sugar, nuts, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and animal products. The main export markets are the European Union and the United States – to which Turkey primarily fruits and nuts, cotton and tobacco exports dried – and the Middle East, in particular imports of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat from Turkey. Even in 1980, agricultural exports accounted for nearly 60 percent of the total value of exports. In the early 1990s made the agricultural products for 15 percent of total exports. About 50 percent of manufactured exports originate in the agricultural sector are among those exports, increase the agricultural sector contribution to exports to around 60 percent.
Agriculture has provided a great potential for further development, that the State successfully carried out agricultural reforms and development projects. Observers believe that to achieve a balanced growth, Turkey needs to improve the training of farmers, improved seed standardized available, upgrade livestock, products, expand food-processing equipment (including cooling and refrigerated transport), and to reorganize marketing networks. Since 1980, the Government has invited investments in packaging, processing, livestock and slaughterhouses, and has introduced new varieties. These efforts had a modest impact on the entire production of the mid-1990s.
The failure of the country is to use large agricultural potential, contributed to periodic economic crises in Turkey and poses serious problems for the future development. Inequalities of income between urban and rural residents – and in parts of the farm population – have created social tensions and contributed to the exodus from rural to urban areas. Malnutrition continues to threaten parts of the rural population, especially children. The Kurdish insurgency in eastern Turkey has added to problems in some rural areas. have caused rising incomes in urban areas, the demand for more “exotic” food, particularly meat and poultry. Since 1984, Turkey has liberalized its policy on the importation of food, partly to satisfy this demand, urban and partially offset by domestic price pressures. Many previously banned tobacco imports and imports that compete with domestically produced staples, these reasons are permitted; turn, the growth in imports has contributed to pressure on foreign goods and services. Overall, to expand agricultural production along with the rest of the economy to ensure adequate supplies for industry and exports are maintained. Longer-term prospects for economic growth and macroeconomic stability, thus depend on the performance of the agricultural sector in Turkey and rural incomes.
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