Vahit Kirişci

Following a voting session in the Turkish parliament, the heads of specialized commissions have been determined, with former ministers taking leadership positions in commissions relevant to their respective fields.

During the general assembly meetings, the commissions convened to select the members of the Presidential Council.

Türkiye approaches the water issue from a purely humanitarian point of view and sees the transboundary waters as an element of cooperation rather than a conflict between riparian countries, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Vahit Kirişçi has stated.

As Türkiye has experienced water stress, if necessary precautions are not taken, the country might become water poor by 2030, stated Agriculture and Forestry Minister Vahit Kirişçi.

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.

The government wants to see more young people at every stage of agricultural production, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Vahit Kirişçi has said.

"I consider food safety as the first priority of the 'Turkish Century' in agriculture," Kirişçi said at a meeting of the Agriculture-Forestry Workers Union in Ankara.

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.

The water level of dams that meet Istanbul's water needs has decreased to 33 percent, while the existing water reserve can meet the water requirements for only up to three-and-a-half months, Agriculture and Forestry Ministry Vahit Kirişçi has warned.

Within the scope of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry's efforts to combat drought, farmers across the country will receive training on protecting the quality and quantity of water resources and observing the usage balance.

The ministry will implement measures to ensure food safety against climate change within the scope of combating drought.

Despite the unfavorable developments globally, there are no risks to food supply security in Türkiye thanks to measures in place, said the Food and Agricultural Products Monitoring and Assessment Committee in a statement on Sept. 14.

In an effort to protect snake eagles from being hunted by poachers, an officer in the southern province of Hatay's Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP) lost his life while another got severely injured as poachers opened fire on them.

The gendarmerie units have started searching for the runaway poachers who killed Mehmet Ali Koşar and wounded Mehmet Atıcı.