The Evaluation of the Changes in the Agricultural Sector with Common Economic Indicators in Turkey in the Last Decade

Abstract

Agriculture is an important sector in the Turkish economy in terms of population and employment, nutrition, agricultural production, domestic consumption, its contribution to industry, national income and balance of payments. By current economic indicators in Turkey, while its share in national income is 9.0%, its share in employment is 23.6%. Although the share of agriculture in GDP decreased in Turkey in the last decade, the rate of growth of agricultural sector increased. Whereas cultivated fields and the number of livestock declined, vegetative production and animal production increased significantly. Moreover, the rate of total employment increased, but the rate of agricultural employment decreased. In addition, the use of machine in agriculture increased and the wage of employees in agriculture increased considerably, as well. On the other hand, agricultural support policies in the last decade witnessed with major reforms and important support policies were implemented in many areas. In 2013, the share of agricultural subsidies in gross domestic product increased compared to the previous year and an increase in the 2014 budget was targeted. In this study, agriculture-related indicators in Turkey in the last ten years will be evaluated and the last ten-year change and the reasons of this change will be examined. In the light of these changes, agricultural recommendations in terms of future oriented agricultural plans and programs will be presented.