Forestry Ministry

In line with the measures taken to clean the seas of abandoned fishing lines and nets, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has initiated a new project to recycle these ghost nets for using them in manufacturing plastic parts of white goods.

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry is planning to use a new "sponge city" concept that absorbs rain waters within the scope of water efficiency measures on a national scale.

Within this scope, ecological infrastructure and drainage systems will be created in cities, and roadsides or sidewalks will be covered with surface coatings that allow water to pass through.

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry is working on projects aimed at utilizing geothermal energy resources, particularly in urban agriculture, while officials are looking into ways to boost biomass production in rural areas.

The ministry favors the specialized greenhouse-organized industrial zones based on geothermal heating (TDİOSB) as the more appropriate model.

Türkiye moved to the top spot in aquaculture production in the past four years, surpassing all EU member states, according to the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.

The industry generated $1.7 billion in export revenues in 2022, shipping products to 103 countries.

Production of the sector, which was more than 500,000, is expected to be around 600,000, the ministry said.

Within the scope of a new project by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, which will both increase renewable energy production and protect agricultural lands, floating solar panels will be placed on stagnant water surfaces such as dams and ponds.

As the precipitation increased by 53 percent in March, if the precipitation is regular and sufficient in April and May, the country will not experience agricultural drought in summer, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has announced.

Within the scope of the efforts to minimize water problems that may arise in the coming period, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has prepared a set of guidelines to reduce water consumption in the hospitality industry as the tourism season begins.

Fines of more than 37 million Turkish Liras ($2.1 million) were given during inspections for illegal fishing, while 480 tons of fishery products and 169 ships without fishing licenses were confiscated in 2022, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has announced.

The ministry stated that 199,702 inspections were carried out against illegal fishing last year.

An endangered caracal and its offspring have been spotted with a camera trap placed in the forest in the Aegean province of Muğla.

The camera trap set by Yasin İlemin from Muğla Sıtkı Kocaman University captured images of a caracal and two puppies, whose species are under threat of extinction.

Establishing 733 honey forests in 79 out of 81 provinces, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry is aiming to increase this figure to 790 by the end of 2023, stating that Türkiye ranks second in the world in honey production.