President Erdoğan spoke at the "Ziraat Bank Agricultural Ecosystem Meeting" program

 

Speaking at the Ziraat Bank Agricultural Ecosystem Meeting, President Erdoğan said: “Türkiye has written a success story in the last 21 years in, first and foremost, agriculture, husbandry and aquaculture.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the Ziraat Bank Agricultural Ecosystem Meeting held with the theme of “Sustainable Agriculture and Branding in Agriculture” at the Haliç Congress Center in Istanbul.

Recalling that he met with the heads of the chambers of agriculture and producer unions in Ankara on May 14, World Farmers' Day, President Erdoğan said they presented a comparative picture of Türkiye’s progress in agriculture in the last 21 years.

“Anyone with a conscience accepts the fact that Türkiye has written a success story in the last 21 years in, first and foremost, agriculture, husbandry and aquaculture,” President Erdoğan said.

Emphasizing that the recent fluctuations in red and white meat prices cannot be ignored, President Erdoğan said: “We cannot turn a deaf ear to the complaints raised in different areas, from the increase in fertilizer prices to the lack of temporary and permanent workers. Along with our achievements, we are also aware of the areas that still produce problems.”

“We aim to increase the number of our accomplishments and to remedy our shortcomings. We work to develop solutions to our problems with common sense,” President Erdoğan said.

“We are open to everyone's ideas, contributions and constructive criticism to improve Türkiye’s agricultural ecosystem,” President Erdoğan underlined.

“WE KNOW VERY WELL WHAT THE WESTERN COUNTRIES THAT LECTURE US ON HUMAN RIGHTS HAVE DONE IN MANY AFRICAN COUNTRIES”

Highlighting the importance of underground resources in the last century, President Erdoğan said: “Blood was shed for oil, gold, diamonds and other underground riches. The colonizers, who considered a drop of oil more precious than a drop of blood, resorted to every means to control them. They invaded countries thousands of kilometers away. They attacked Africa from Europe. They unfortunately carried the means of those black sons of Africa, their diamonds and gold to Europe in helicopters. They drove people from their lands. They started wars and civil wars. They supported bloody dictators. They staged coups, committed murders and massacres. They got the local population addicted to alcohol and drugs and made them economically, socially and politically dependent on them. They built their prosperity on the wealth they stole from the oppressed people. We know very well what the Western countries that lecture us on human rights have done in Congo, Algeria, Kenya, Somalia, South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria and many other African countries. In the middle of Europe, ‘zoos’ –if you will excuse the expression- were set up in the guise of museums where people brought from Africa were exhibited. In the Congo alone, 10 million people have died because of violence, hunger and disease. During our visits to these countries, we had the opportunity to see the brutal face of the colonizers in person. All these and much more were done for the control of surface and underground resources.”

“WE ENSURED THE SAFE PASSAGE OF 33 MILLION TONS OF GRAIN THROUGH OUR STRAITS”

Noting that the order of exploitation continues with new and much more insidious methods, President Erdoğan said: “In the current century, it seems that the same fight will be fought over agricultural land, water and food. We are already seeing signs of this. The developed countries of the world are in a race to lease agricultural land in Africa. With the negative effects of climate change, water resources and basins are turning into conflict lines. Disputes over water resources are behind many tensions in Asia, America, North Africa and the Middle East.”

Recalling how hard all countries fought for food security during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War, President Erdoğan said: “Had it not been for the Black Sea Initiative, which was realized with Türkiye’s efforts, there would have been famine in many places, especially in African countries. In the face of the threat of starvation, tens of thousands of people would have lost their lives. We could not remain indifferent to this and thankfully, we did not. By ensuring the safe passage of 33 million tons of grain through our Straits, we prevented the situation from getting out of control. We need to see that the importance of agriculture will not diminish, on the contrary, it will rise. Each new global crisis will confirm how strategic food production and supply is. As climate change, environmental pollution, global warming and regional risks escalate, competition will intensify, perhaps even become bloodier. As a country, we need to make all our preparations accordingly. Otherwise, we cannot avoid facing serious problems.”