Fresh produce sector supporting Turkey’s relief efforts

Turkey’s fresh produce sector is working hard to support the relief efforts to help those affected by last month’s earthquakes in the south-east of the country, delivering food packages, fuel and shelter to the disaster zone. Produce companies from the agricultural region and elsewhere immediately mobilised resources to provide containers, tents, food packages and other essential supplies. The Turkish government has also sought to prevent disruption to supply chains by offering diesel and fertiliser support to farmers and postponing instalments on loans.

However, the main issue confronting fresh produce companies is the current shortage of workers as many count among the dead and injured or are working to rebuild the area. Many have also had to migrate to other parts of the country. There are 270,000 registered farmers with a total of 3.7m ha of agricultural land in the ten affected provinces. The lack of product from the region may also trigger an increase in food prices.