STORY: Turkish experts urge developing countries to prioritize agriculture for food security
SHOOTING DATE: Jan. 21, 2025
DATELINE: Feb. 8, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:12
LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye
CATEGORY: AGRICULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Tekirdag City
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): HALIM ORTA, Academic at Tekirdag Namik Kemal University
3. various of agricultural lands in Tekirdag
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): MURAT KAPIKIRAN, Head of the Istanbul Chamber of Agricultural Engineers

STORYLINE:

Agricultural experts in Türkiye said that developing countries must prioritize agriculture to ensure national security and food sustainability through robust farmer support.
   
Halim Orta, an academic at Tekirdag Namik Kemal University and a wheat farmer in Türkiye's Thrace region, noted that nations with favorable climates can achieve food self-sufficiency if governments invest in long-term strategies.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): HALIM ORTA, Academic at Tekirdag Namik Kemal University
"Türkiye not only has the ability to produce goods necessary for its own needs but also boasts products that cannot be grown anywhere else in the world. One example is Malatya's apricot, which is unique to this region. Similarly, the citrus fruits of Antalya are extremely difficult to cultivate anywhere else. Türkiye has the ideal land and climate conditions to produce these specific crops and many other unique products."

Orta emphasized that lowering production costs, implementing long-term policies, and providing subsidies are essential for ensuring sustainable, affordable food access.
   
Murat Kapikiran, head of the Istanbul Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, stressed the need for developing countries, including Türkiye, to protect farmers' motivation and resilience against market risks.
   
He warned that current policies have led to rural depopulation, declining productivity, land abandonment, water commodification, and increased reliance on food imports.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): MURAT KAPIKIRAN, Head of the Istanbul Chamber of Agricultural Engineers
"I believe that farmers should be organized in democratic cooperatives as self-organized bodies, where they can exercise self-regulation and maintain control over their operations. This approach could also enable them to become profitable. Through these cooperative structures, they could address financial difficulties, educational challenges, and issues related to input supply. In doing so, it would be possible to improve the profitability of agricultural lands, ecosystems, consumers, and producers, as well as halt the process of rural depopulation."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Istanbul, Türkiye.
(XHTV)