Turkey becomes world's 7th biggest agricultural producer

Government support to the agriculture has increased only in Turkey among all Organization for the Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD)-member countries. Paris-based OECD released its annual report "Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation 2010".

Accordingly, government support to agriculture in OECD countries fell to 18 percent of total farm receipts in 2010, a record low linked to high commodity prices. Support to producers stood at $227 billion in OECD countries in 2010, confirming a longstanding trend toward falling farm support, the OECD report said.

In Turkey, government support to agriculture rose to 27 percent in the period of 2008-2010 from 20 percent in the period of 1986-1988. As the world's 7th biggest agriculture producer, Turkey's most important commercial partners are the European Union member states, the United States and the Middle East countries.

The rate of agricultural sector to the gross domestic product dropped to 8.5 percent in 2009 from 12 percent in 1995. Agricultural products accounted for 12 percent of Turkey's exports and 5 percent of its imports in 2009.


/World Bulletin/