There is no room for disaster scenarios, we are among countries that have advantages in food security.

Former General Manager of Turkish Grain Board (TMO) Ismail Kemaloglu criticized TV commentators catastrophizing about national agriculture. Kemaloglu shared his views on Twitter and stressed that Turkey has an advantage in food security for being a net exporter. Here is the thread of Kemaloglu, who is also the founder of İK Tarım Üssü consultancy firm: “Dear friends. In the media, too many people started to talk about agriculture and share negative expectations without facts or figures. They claim that nothing is being done about agriculture, the activities stopped, we will not be able to have access to food, lands are empty, etc. I cannot be demure in this topic. I have 27 years of experience and follow domestic and international agricultural markets closely to report and forecast. This is my job. First of all Turkey is a very dynamic country in agriculture with its farmers, industrialists, stakeholders, and administrators. We are in an advantageous position for food security. We have no supply problems in the short term. But some steps should be taken for the middle term. Market regulation is a more sensitive issue now. Market guarantees for producers will be significant. A new production model should be implemented to realize the potential of arable lands. Turkey is a net exporter in agriculture. Yes, the agriculture sector has structural problems. Some steps have to be taken. Farming is becoming harder each year. Agricultural inputs are expensive. But why do you need negative scenarios for the sake of breaking the news? What about to make it factual.”