Domestic Production Plays Key Role in Agriculture's Future

World Farmers' Day is celebrated on 14 May to draw attention to farming as a profession and its challenges, and to raise awareness on the subject. 14 May is also the founding date of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP). According to TÜİK data, in 2020, 4 million 716 thousand people over the age of 15 in our country were employed in agriculture. While farming appears to be a profession passed down from generation to generation, agricultural employment figures have unfortunately been declining over the years due to many factors such as urbanization, the hardships of rural living conditions, and young people moving away from agricultural production. Yayla Agro Board Chairman Hasan Gümüş stated: "I thank all our farmers who put in their efforts regardless of summer or winter against all kinds of difficulties, and I celebrate 14 May World Farmers' Day." Gümüş noted that they conduct contract farming in different provinces of Turkey, stating that they source all their products from domestic producers except for those whose production is insufficient in Turkey, and that their support for agriculture and farmers will continue to increase in the coming years.

Hasan Gümüş continued his remarks as follows: "The negative consequences of global climate change, excessive rainfall and drought, and the depletion of water resources increase the pressure on agricultural production with each passing day.

Added to these problems, the Covid-19 pandemic caused food prices to rise worldwide. Ensuring the continuity of agricultural production and food supply is a global issue facing us. The pandemic also once again demonstrated how important domestic production is. Starting from today, implementing strategies to increase domestic agricultural production, enabling our country to achieve self-sufficiency in agricultural products, and securing food supply are of great importance. Anatolia, the cradle of agriculture, with its fertile lands and the labor of our farmers, has the richness to meet our country's needs. On the other hand, the current global situation indicates that agricultural product exports will gain much greater importance, especially in the coming years.

Yayla Agro Board Chairman Hasan Gümüş, expressing the need to increase young people's interest in agriculture, stated: "The decline in agricultural employment and farmland in our country is an important problem facing us. We believe that these problems can be overcome through supporting agriculture and our farmers, taking steps to reduce agricultural production costs, and encouraging young people to engage in farming.

The pandemic reminded us all of our life priorities. Without food, without agriculture, there is no life. We better understood the importance of our farmers' labor. We must do what we can so that young people also recognize the opportunities in this field. In today's world where technological advances provide great advantages, our farmers' adaptation to technology and their transition to modern production methods that increase productivity are another issue that should be emphasized regarding the future of agriculture in our country. Increased interest by young people in agriculture and viewing farming as a profession will facilitate this transformation.