'Zoning olive groves to housing will do away with our agricultural land'

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The proposal to zone forested lands and olive groves in 15 provinces affected by the February 6 earthquakes was discussed in the parliament on July 9, within an omnibus bill that also includes wage increases for civil servants. 

The proposal will allow 65 registered olive groves to be zoned for housing. 

Adnan Çobanoğlu, the Organization Secretary of Çiftçi-Sen, told bianet that zoning olive groves for housing is illegal. 

They have had many regulations made in the same direction canceled in the past Çobanoğlu informed. "But the government never gives up," he said. 

"Food crisis is looming"

Çobanoğlu believes that the issue should be discussed from the point of view of the producers, but also that of the consumers. 

"For the producers, the proposal means that their agricultural land will disappear. When the land is zoned for housing, the people will be deprived of their means of income. Maybe some of them will be paid the expropriation prices, which will keep them quiet. However, there is a looming food crisis! This will help supermarkets and companies to have more control over food. We will have greater food inflation when the producers become unable to sell their products in the market," he said. 

Çobanoğlu added that it is becoming more and more difficult for poor people to access food. "I am a farmer but in the current situation where the prices increase all the time, even I have difficulty in buying products other than those that I produce." 

What happened?

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) Ankara MP Orhan Yegin and AKP İzmir MP Yaşar Kırkpınar introduced a bill to the parliament on July 9, 2023, and requested that forested lands and olive groves should be zoned for housing in 18 provinces, 15 of which are provinces affected by the February 6 earthquakes. 

Yegin had argued that the purpose was to meet the requirement for houses in the region in the "quickest" way and stated that there were no sufficient areas and lands in these provinces. 

(ZA/TY/PE)