Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay attended the panel titled "Rethinking Agricultural Policies in the Crisis of Neoliberalism" organized by the Agricultural Economics Association and TMMOB Chamber of Agricultural Engineers Izmir Branch. Stating that there will be a food crisis and precautions must be taken, Mayor Tugay said, “In order to cope with the food crisis, there must be correct agricultural policies. "We will be a part of this process, both with the Izmir Urban Food Strategy Document that we will prepare soon, and by further increasing the efforts of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, which has supported agricultural production to date," he said.
Agricultural Economics Association and TMMOB Chamber of Agricultural Engineers Izmir Branch organized a panel titled "Rethinking Agricultural Policies in the Crisis of Neoliberalism" at Mustafa Necati Cultural Center. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, Karabağlar Mayor Helil İnay Kınay also participated in the first session of the panel, Prof. from Adnan Menderes University. Dr. Moderated by Renan Tunalıoğlu, Republican People's Party (CHP) Group Deputy Chairman, Istanbul Deputy Gökhan Günaydın, TMMOB Chamber of Agricultural Engineers Chairman Baki Remzi Suiçmez, Agricultural Economics Association Board Member Prof. Dr. Tayfun Özkaya, Dr. from Çukurova University. Burhan Özalp took part as a speaker.
Tugay: “There will be years when there will be a food crisis”
Addressing the participants at the beginning of the panel, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay said, “It is clear that the coming years will be years in which there will be a food crisis. In order to cope with the food crisis, there must be correct agricultural policies. The main responsibility lies with public administration. Local governments have to determine urban food strategies and make plans. At the same time, while supporting the producers at the right points, they should also raise the awareness of the consumers in terms of climate-friendly eating habits and healthy and safe nutrition. "Everyone needs to know where and under what conditions the things they eat and drink are produced and to make the right choices," he said.
“Izmir Urban Food Strategy Document will be prepared”
Stating that they will prepare the Izmir Urban Food Strategy Document, Mayor Tugay said, “We need a conscious society, a public administration that has made a clear decision about what to do, and a democratic mass organization structure that is ready to contribute to the efforts of the public administration. In this context, each of these events is valuable. I will be a part of this process for the next 5 years, both with the Izmir Urban Food Strategy Document that we will prepare soon, and by further increasing the future efforts of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, which has supported agricultural production to date. "I am ready to do my best in whatever you need me for," he said.
Günaydın's emphasis on common agricultural policy
The panel was moderated by Prof. from Adnan Menderes University. Dr. Renan Tunalıoğlu did it. CHP Group Deputy Chairman Gökhan Günaydın, who participated as a speaker, emphasized the success of CHP after the March 31 Local Government Elections and said, “We are in a different climate now. Our metropolitan cities have been with us to a significant extent since 2019. We are now faced with another municipal administration in 2024. 65 percent of the population lives in settlements managed by CHP municipalities, and almost 80 percent of the gross national product is produced here. So, we have to construct an exemplary agricultural model here. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has done the right things in agricultural policies since the time of Aziz Kocaoğlu. Our newly added municipalities also tried to maintain these. All our metropolitan cities must follow a common agricultural policy. It is not possible for everyone to rediscover agriculture. We have to consolidate our practices. "We have to increase the right examples," he said.
Özkaya: “A serious transformation is needed”
Agricultural Economics Association Board Member Prof. Dr. Tayfun Özkaya also made a presentation titled “Rethinking Agricultural Policies in Turkey”. Özkaya said, “There is a need for a policy change. A very serious transformation is needed. I think we need to do something very different from what we have done before. Our agricultural policy is a neoliberal policy. We need to develop agroecological farming techniques. "In order to prevent the oppression of farmers, we need to give up industrial inputs," he said.
Suiçmez: “We do not find the agricultural policy correct”
Baki Remzi Suiçmez, Chairman of the Board of TMMOB Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, said, “There is an agricultural policy in Turkey. It started in the 1980s, started in the 2002s, started in the XNUMXs, started in the XNUMXs, started in the XNUMXs, started in the XNUMXs, started in the XNUMXs, after XNUMX, by reducing the supports, increasing the foreign dependency, privatizing the achievements of the Republic, thus working with big companies and foreign-dependent lobbies, in which producers smaller than the produced value lost money and withdrew from the field, consumers could not reach sufficient food, but some people made a profit. There is a policy that is implemented uninterruptedly. "We do not find this right," he said. Dr. from Çukurova University. Burhan Özalp made a presentation on "State in Agriculture: Turkish Agriculture". Özalp said, “I believe this; There are staff in Turkey that will make Turkey the world's superpower, they are not just in power. "I hope to come to power," he said.