ISTANBUL, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye has rolled out a series of rural development support measures aimed at strengthening its agricultural sector amid mounting pressure from escalating regional geopolitical tensions and growing uncertainty in global supply chains.
The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry unveiled a 12.5-billion-lira (258 million U.S. dollars) rural development grant, with the bulk earmarked for family enterprises. The initiative places a strong emphasis on supporting women and young entrepreneurs, allocating 1.2 billion liras specifically for modernizing irrigation systems.
Last week, the government revised its support policies to help offset soaring input costs amid regional conflicts. Base cash support for crop production was raised by over 50 percent, from 244 liras in 2025 to 367 liras per decare for the 2026 season.
Geopolitical tensions -- from the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Black Sea to the ongoing U.S.-Iran confrontation in the Middle East -- are reverberating across the region, posing mounting risks to the energy and agricultural supply chains critical to Türkiye.
Speaking to farmers in central Kayseri Province on Saturday, Semsi Bayraktar, chairman of the Union of Chambers of Agriculture of Türkiye, warned that agriculture must now be treated as a matter of national security in the face of these compounding threats.
Describing the surrounding region as a "ring of fire," Bayraktar said government policies must remain agile. "Where costs rise, support policies must be frequently reviewed," he said.
The ripple effects of the Middle East conflict and global market volatility are most acutely felt at the fuel pump, which constitutes one of the heaviest expenses for Turkish farmers. Diesel prices have surged roughly 65 percent, from around 54 liras per liter in September last year to 89 liras on Sunday.
The soaring costs are driving a massive surge in agricultural debt. Omer Fethi Gurer, a lawmaker and member of the parliamentary agriculture committee, recently highlighted the severity of this burden.
Citing the latest available banking data, Gurer noted that agricultural credit debt surged by 38 percent year-on-year, jumping from 1.08 trillion liras in July last year to nearly 1.49 trillion liras in July 2026.
For farmers, the real test of government support is whether it can keep pace with rising production costs.
Esref Gok, a sunflower farmer in Türkiye's northwestern Thrace region, told Xinhua that producers who once borrowed to expand output are now increasingly borrowing just to cover rising input costs.
"Fertilizer, diesel, seeds, pesticides and labor costs have all risen sharply. Even when we borrow money," the farmer said. "It is becoming harder to cover these expenses and have enough income left after the harvest to repay our debts."
