Turkiye Unveils Ambitious 2024-2028 Livestock Roadmap to Boost Domestic Food Security

 

Turkiye's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ibrahim Yumakli, recently announced the "2024-2028 Livestock Roadmap" in response to a significant decline in domestic livestock inventories. The roadmap aims to increase healthy and high-quality production patterns in the country, meeting the food needs of its 85 million residents and 57 million tourists.

The announcement comes as Turkiye faces a 70.14% increase in food inflation over the past year, with meat prices rising by 43% over the past marketing year. The government is concerned about the impact of these price increases on consumers, particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors.

The roadmap prioritizes several key areas, including:

1. Planning of animal production: MinAF has developed a regional model that takes into account production, cost, capacity, and marketing opportunities, as well as protecting water and natural resources.

2. Ensuring sufficient and healthy production of red meat, poultry meat, milk, and eggs: The ministry aims to maintain domestic food security by promoting sustainable and healthy production practices.

3. Quality forage feed capacity: The ministry recognizes the importance of quality forage feed in animal production and will prioritize its development and availability.

4. Pasture areas: The roadmap includes initiatives to improve and expand pasture areas, which are essential for animal production and natural resource conservation.

5. Contractual production model: The ministry will expand its contractual production model to ensure domestic food and price stability.

By implementing these measures, Turkiye hopes to increase its domestic livestock production, reduce its reliance on imports, and improve the overall food security of its citizens.