Turkey’s agricultural decline rings alarm bells
The Turkish government is under fire for mismanaging the agricultural sector, whose decline has sent food prices soaring and forced the importation of basic items such as wheat, beans, meat and even straw.
White bean stew is as popular as kebab dishes in Turkey and is often seen as the national dish of the commoner. But as one Twitter user notes, the national dish has come to rely on imported ingredients. According to the Twitter account, the recipe now includes “two cups of white beans imported from Kyrgyzstan, 300 grams of red meat imported from France, Bosnia or Brazil, two onions imported from Iran, a green pepper imported from Turkish Cyprus, a tablespoon of tomato paste imported from Ukraine, salt and water. Serve with pilaf made of rice from Russia,” the writer said, while others chime in with reminders to “not forget to saute the onion with olive oil imported from Tunisia” and serve the dish with “German Kuhne pickles.”
The exchange is a sarcastic take at an alarming decline in Turkish agriculture and husbandry, which has sent food prices soaring and forced the importation of many staple items.
Over the past several decades, Turkish governments have often opted for the easy way to rein in prices, that is, importation. The trend started with Turgut Ozal, who was Turkey’s prime minister in the 1980s and an ardent advocate of economic liberalism. Ozal brought tariffs down to zero on a number of agricultural products and even on steel and iron. Although such remedies helped curb prices in the short run, they took a toll on local production in the long term. The same mistake is being repeated today in a wide range of agricultural products.
