Supporting agriculture is considered a current issue for all countries around the world. Indeed, this sector is extremely important for feeding the population and driving economic development of a country. Its significance is understood more deeply during times of economic crises like global pandemics.
Supporting the agricultural sector in every period provides several benefits for a country. For instance, agricultural development can increase national income and improve employment. It contributes directly or indirectly to exports. Due to these reasons, agriculture is one of the most important sources of livelihood for a country’s economy. Since Turkey is a country with fertile lands, the agricultural policies implemented in our country are of great importance.
Types of Support
The Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution provides support to those who carry out programs aimed at rural development in Turkey. Therefore, it is important to learn about agricultural subsidies, their conditions, technological developments, and agricultural development. So, what are the types of agricultural support?
Agriculture is among the sectors most protected by supportive policies in all countries, especially in developed ones. The goals of these policies implemented in Turkey, as in other countries, include increasing producer income and welfare levels, ensuring price stability, promoting rural development, providing cheap food to increase consumer welfare, achieving self-sufficiency, and generating foreign exchange savings.
Among the types of support, farmer subsidies hold a significant place. You can also examine support types offered under the scope of the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution and the IPARD program, such as agricultural grant support, and easily evaluate their advantages.
Credit Support
The credit support offered under agricultural subsidies is a type of loan specifically provided to farmers. Its interest rates are lower than those of regular bank loans. Its purpose is to protect the interests of the farmer, the sector, and the country’s economy.
Credit support is among the types of assistance that farmers show great interest in. They can cover their expenses until the harvest season with this loan. They can also maintain their agricultural activities in a healthy manner during periods when they have no income. Therefore, the conditions and application period for credit support should be particularly followed by farmers.
Fuel and Fertilizer Support
Farmers who are candidates for the farmer registration system in the production year can benefit from fuel and fertilizer support. The aim of this aid is to increase plant production in our country. It also aims to develop techniques suitable for sustainable agriculture and environmentally sensitive activities, in addition to efficient and quality production. The decisions on the amounts of these supports are announced to farmers by being published in the Official Gazette.
Irrigation Support
Irrigation is crucial in agriculture to provide plants with the water they need but cannot obtain from rainfall at the right time. The grants provided by the state towards modern irrigation systems provide a great advantage for farmers in maintaining their activities. Because rural economic and social development is possible with the strengthening of irrigation systems in the agricultural area as well. Depending on the need, in-field drip, sprinkler irrigation, drum irrigation, solar-powered irrigation, or smart irrigation systems can be listed among the systems supported by the ministry.
Feed and Seed Support
One of the essential needs for maintaining activities is feed and seeds. These two aids are of great importance for farmers when it comes to agricultural support. Support is provided for products such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, chickpeas, dry beans, lentils under the Agricultural Basins Production and Support Model, as well as for beekeeping.
Organic Farming Support
The increase in the country’s population increases the need for food. Therefore, production is becoming more important. Especially organic and good agricultural practices are within the scope of support policies.
State support provided to farmers practicing organic farming in Turkey can be listed as follows: low-interest loans, direct income support, aid for the protection of lands, and support related to soil analysis.
Tractor Grant Support
The tractor is the most important assistant of small and medium-scale farmers. Therefore, one of the most important supports given to farmers is tractor grant support. Those who want to benefit from this support within the scope of the Agriculture and Rural Development Program (IPARD) can apply after meeting the necessary conditions.
Who and When are Agricultural Supports Given?
It is necessary to follow the application conditions for these supports, which are extremely important for agricultural development. Agricultural supports are primarily given to Turkish citizens who have turned 18 and are registered in the Farmer Registration System. The timing of the application can be followed through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
In addition, information about the extension of the Farmer Registration System registration periods and the final application dates can also be checked online. Applications for supports such as feed and irrigation aids, as well as diesel and fertilizer, can also be continued via e-Government.
Application Processes and Things to Pay Attention to
Those who carry out agricultural activities always follow the application processes to benefit from the supports. Especially to be able to carry out your activities in a productive way at the right time, it is necessary to be prepared during the application process. Therefore, it may be useful to summarize the application conditions for agricultural support for you. Here are the relevant conditions:
- You must apply with a petition on the date determined by the Ministry.
- The application petition must be submitted to the provincial/district directorates of agriculture.
- The decares area to be owned for fertilizer support should be considered.
- Those who have more than 50 decares of land should have a soil analysis.
- The suitability of the cultivated product to geographical conditions should be checked.
- When you meet these conditions, you can also apply for support.
Agricultural Supports and Technological Innovations
With advancing technology, the continuation of agricultural activities has also evolved. Thus, innovations are needed for efficient production. The machines used, modern irrigation methods, or any situation required by modern agriculture, benefit farmers in terms of time and cost.
Food storage methods also come to the fore in order to protect farmers’ labor and prevent their economic losses. Thanks to these methods, the export rate is also increasing. At this point, freeze dryers (lyophilization) stand out as one of the healthiest and most durable food storage methods. In this context, the food is first frozen, then it is dried by sublimation at low temperature and pressure. With the technology used, foods can be stored without losing their nutritional value. The extension of the shelf life plays a major role in the storage and export of products.
Agricultural supports are provided by the state, taking into account the advancing technology. In addition, to aid such as grant support loans and machinery support, freeze dryers also provide a great advantage for those carrying out agricultural activities. This is because, in this method, many fruits or vegetables can be stored and used without any deterioration in their nutritional values.
Before applying for agricultural support, you can examine the devices suitable for the freeze-drying method under the guidance of Liyolife freeze dryer. In this way, you can freeze dry the products you take from the soil in season and use them in every season.
You can reach our previous article from https://liyolife.com/en/rural-development-supports/
