The Black Sea region and Eastern Anatolia have suffered heavy losses to their harvests this year due to frost that has recently hit these regions, farmers said over the weekend, calling on the government to help compensate.Kesap Hazelnut Producers' Union President Mustafa Şahin told Today's Zaman that the frost has hit crops starting from an altitude of 250 meters above sea level, and that in areas located 400 meters above sea level all crops in the Black Sea region were destroyed.“Last year 90,000 tons of hazelnuts were produced [in Giresun], [and] the production for this year had been estimated at 100,000 tons. However, two-thirds of the [projected] hazelnut crop has been lost due to frost,” said Şahin.Regarding measures to reduce the damage in the region, Şahin stressed that insurance for farmers and agricultural producers must be strengthened. Meanwhile, the farmers' calls for help arrived on the eve of Farmers' Day on May 14, and payments on producers' agricultural loans in the affected areas have been deferred for a year.According to a Cabinet decision published in the Official Gazette on Wednesday, farmers and producers with damages to at least 30 percent of their crops, animals, plants and greenhouses can defer their debts to Ziraat Bankası and the Turkish Agriculture Credit Cooperative Central Union (TTKKMB).Speaking during a conference in Ordu, Turkish Union of Agricultural Chambers (TZOB) President Şemsi Bayraktar said on Monday that after severe drought and high temperatures in January and February, trees bloomed earlier and therefore become vulnerable to frost. “Because Turkey produces 66.4 percent of the world's hazelnuts, and 80 percent of world hazelnut exports, necessary damage-assessment projects have been initiated with the help of agricultural chambers,” said Bayraktar.
The effect of the frost on all agricultural products has led to an estimated TL 150 million in losses.Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said in a press statement on Monday that he had conveyed hazelnut producers' concerns over their losses as stated to the Ordu and Giresun provincial chambers of commerce and industry to Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek.
Agricultural Insurance Pool (TARSİM) General Manager Bülent Bora said in April that TARSİM experts had been sent out into the field to conduct damage assessments and that after completing their assessments in early May, indemnities would be paid during the harvest period in August.
“Frost hit different regions in Turkey on March 30-31. Apricot trees in Malatya were significantly damaged. We received over 55,000 [damage] claims from 51 provinces for various crops within two days [of the frost],” said Bora.
Source - http://www.todayszaman.com/
