Turkey to provide $3.8 bln incentives to farmers in 2017: Minister

The government will provide agricultural incentives worth 12.8 billion Turkish Liras (around $3.8 billion) in 2017, Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Faruk Çelik has said, Reuters reported on Nov. 24. 

"We will provide a total of 12.8 billion liras of agricultural incentives to our farmers in 2017," Çelik said at parliament's Planning and Budget Commission. 

He also noted that over 1 billion euros in grants will be provided for agricultural investments in line with a program that will last until 2020. 

Çelik also referred to Turkey's problems in meat production, stating that the government will provide 750 liras ($219) in support for the vaccination of every four-month-old calf. 

"We will also designate a total of 184 plains, protected areas, and not let them be used for other purposes. We have already drawn the borders of 136 such area," he said. 

Çelik noted that a total of 941 agricultural basins were designated in line with the agricultural incentive model on basins. 

Turkey made agricultural and food product exports worth $11.3 billion in the first nine months of the year, he added.