Farmers Are Getting Organized
The farmers of Sanliurfa had switched to irrigated agriculture at the Harran plain, with the launch of the Southeast Anatolia Project
(GAP).
Mehmet Sait Melik is the chair of the association, which is set up to improve the agricultural production and marketing facilities in the region covered by the Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP), and to increase agriculture's contribution to local and national economy. Melik, spent many years at the University of Michigan in the United States (US), as an associate professor.
"Agriculture in Turkey is almost inexistent"
Talking about the present conditions and development of agricultural activities in the region, Mehmet Sait Melik, chair of the 80-member association, said that agriculture in Turkey today is almost inexistent.
Melik highlighted that the agricultural activities in a country striving to enter the European Union (EU), should be at levels high enough to compete with those of the European countries.
"River waters should be analyzed"
Giving information about the Harran land becoming barren, Mehmet Sait Melik stated that the farmers were not responsible for this.
According to Melik, the salty waters of Tigris and Euphrates rivers caused the land to become arid. Melik asked the regional directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI) to analyze the water of Tigris and Euphrates rivers:
* Agricultural activities in Turkey today are almost inexistent.
* Our association was set up to improve the agricultural production and marketing facilities in the GAP region, and to increase agriculture's contribution to local and national economy.
* There are three agricultural engineers in charge within the association. * The administrators help solve the problems of the farmers who consult the association.
* The executive members of the association visited several countries in Europe with the support of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture. In those countries, they meet with the representatives of local agricultural organizations, and try to obtain seeds and young fruit trees for the regional farmers.
* Our board of directors tests the European agriculture technology and product lines on the 10,127 acres of land cultivated by member farmers.
U.S. irrigation techniques
* Farmers in Harran plain use the irrigation techniques that are used in the United States.
* The drainage type waterway system caused the Harran land to become barren.
* The irrigation techniques used by the farmers have nothing to do with the Harran land becoming barren. The 12 percent salty waters of Tigris and Euphrates rivers caused the land to become arid.
* To make this situation clear, the regional directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI) has to analyze the waters of Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Cetin Hayirli, the coordinator of the association, said: "Turkey, striving for full EU membership, should be ready to compete with the European farmers in agricultural production. For that, our farmers have to be able to keep up with the developments in agricultural production, methods and technologies." (BB/EA/NM)