Adverse climate circumstances and sudden shifts in temperatures have negatively impacted agricultural manufacturing and crops in Türkiye, which officers described as one of many “biggest frost events” within the nation’s latest historical past, whereas pledging to face by producers.
“In March and April, but especially in the last three-day period (April 10-12), we were faced with frost, snowfall and hail as a result of sudden drops in air temperatures,” Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı stated in a publish on X.
He famous that temperatures dropped to minus 15 levels Celsius (5 levels Fahrenheit) in some locations within the final three days whereas suggesting that some areas recorded the bottom temperatures within the final 30 years.
Indeed, even the capital Ankara witnessed heavy snowfall prior to now days, whereas the climate temperatures in different provinces fluctuated, together with Istanbul, which was underneath the affect of a chilly snap from the Baltic and Europe.
“As a result of these adverse weather conditions, we, unfortunately, experienced one of the biggest agricultural frost events in our history after the great agricultural frost event of 2014,” Yumaklı additional stated, wishing all producers and farmers a speedy restoration.
“As the ministry, we have been in the field and with our producers 24/7 for days to minimize the negative impact. All our teams continue their detection work,” he added.
He additionally stated that producers affected by frost and hail can report harm to the provincial or district directorates of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry and that insured producers can report harm to the ALO TARSIM 172 hotline and companies.
“As the ministry, we will continue to stand by our producers to ensure the continuity of production after this frost event, which has covered the largest area in recent years, as we have always done,” he pledged.
The frost has primarily affected fruit timber and early vegetable fields, impacting the manufacturing of quite a lot of merchandise, together with apples and apricots.
The province of Malatya, in japanese Türkiye, historically recognized for its apricot manufacturing was one among quite a few provinces the place the crops have been broken because of the frost. Other areas included central Anatolian provinces resembling Kayseri and Niğde, southwestern provinces of Izmir, Uşak, Manisa and Denizli, and northwestern Sakarya and Tekirdağ, amongst others.
In Niğde, one among Türkiye’s vital apple manufacturing facilities, apple orchards have been severely broken as a consequence of sudden chilly climate and agricultural frost.
“Everything was going well this year and the flower buds were very good. We had hopes that the yield would reach 650,000 tons again. Last year’s heat and this year’s cold on April 11 are not things we experience very often,” Niğde Apple Producers Association President Atilla Kaplan advised Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday.
“Frost protection methods do not mean anything in these cold weather conditions. We can provide a temperature increase of about 2 degrees Celsius with these methods, but in an extreme situation, we are really helpless. As producers, we are helpless,” he stated.
Agriculture is without doubt one of the robust sectors of the Turkish economic system, with the nation exporting items price over $36 billion from the sector final yr, in keeping with information from the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM).
Recently, Turkish authorities have imposed a short lived halt on exports of lemons from the nation, citing frost circumstances, earlier than lifting it shortly after.
Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu acknowledged that, “The recent agricultural frost disaster has caused serious damage to production.”
“Complaints from our Commodity Exchange presidents and producers indicate that we are facing a major agricultural frost event. To maintain production, our producers must be supported, and we must stand with our farmers in need,” he stated in a publish on the social media platform X.
Hisarcıklıoğlu additionally famous that producers are requesting extra public help and the interest-free deferral of money owed from all banks, ranging from Ziraat Bank. He added that there’s an expectation for particular sensitivity from TARSIM (the Agricultural Insurance Pool) relating to insurance coverage issues, and he additionally needs a speedy restoration to all producers and farmers.
“The agricultural frost events that have recently impacted many parts of our country have negatively affected agricultural production in several regions, leading to significant losses, particularly in field and garden crops. I extend my best wishes to all producers affected by these adverse weather conditions and hope that similar disasters do not occur again,” Ahmet Güldal, the overall supervisor of the Turkish Grain Board (TMO), equally stated.
Source: www.dailysabah.com