Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli, noting that Turkey has 21.5 million tons of wheat production, "Our export is 7.35 million tons and import is 5 million tons including finished product. I do not allow speculation over Turkey's wheat, bread. Turkey's wheat production is self-sufficient." he said.
The 2019 budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the final 2017 budget of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs as well as the Court of Accounts report and the 2019 budget of related institutions' are started to debate at The Grand National Assembly of Turkey Planning and Budget Commission.
Minister Pakdemirli greeted the members of the commission and responded to a deputy on wheat imports before presenting his words. Remarking that Turkey's wheat production is 21.5 million tons Pakdemirli, "Our export is 7.35 million tons and import is 5 million tons including finished product. I do not allow speculation over Turkey's wheat, bread. Turkey's wheat production is self-sufficient." he said.
Reminding of gathering together the two Ministry under the same roof of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry with the Presidential Government System in his presentation during the Commission, Mr. Pakdemirli expressed that they will perform the goal of management of natural resources from a single source in the most efficient way by a decentralized management approach.
Dr. Pakdemirli mentioned that they will firstly move the scope of activity from Ankara to the provinces and they are working on a basin-based organizational structure that will be finalized by the end of the year and aiming to complete the study of permanent staff until the end of the second quarter of 2019.
Noting that; worldwide, 12 million hectares of agricultural land are out of agricultural activities due to misusage, Minister Pakdemirli emphasized that in Turkey since 1989 until 2005, while an average of 117 thousand hectares of agricultural land are out of agriculture each year, it decreased to 40 thousand hectares from 2015 to 2017.
Dr. Pakdemirli said that; today, as a result of the devoted work of more than 3 million farmers on a total of 38 million hectares of farmland, including pasture areas, they will increase the total plant production of 120 million tons as of the end of 2017 to 122 million tons in 2019, and 24 million tons of animal production to 26, 6 million tons in 2019.
45 THOUSAND INSPECTION FOR SCHOOL CANTEENS
He underlined that food control and inspection activities are constantly continuing. In this context, Pakdemirli noted that, they increased the number of food inspectors to 6840 today while it was 1500 in 2002.
Minister Pakdemirli stated that the number of inspections increased to more than 1 million in 2017 which were total 39 thousand in 2002, and said that in 2018, more than 900 thousand inspection activities are continuing.
Remarking that totally about 2.1 million calls were made to "174 ALO GIDA" line that has launched in 2009, Mr. Pakdemirli reported that controls and inspections were made for 554 thousand calls.
Dr. Pakdemirli stated that they carried out 45 thousand inspections only in 2017-2018 education and training period in schools such as canteens and cafeterias, and they applied sanctions on 248 enterprises.
Expressing that in the context of Rural Development Investments Support Program they provided a total of 3.5 billion lira grant support to 9 thousand 498 projects in 81 provinces, Minister Pakdemirli added:
"A total of 3.6 billion lira grant support was paid to the investors for 13 thousand 586 projects with contracts under the IPARD program in which they initiated in 2011, and 147 thousand people were employed with the investments in the field of rural development."