In line with its vision of “Another Agriculture is Possible”, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, which leads an exemplary development model for the whole of Turkey with its projects for local producers and rural areas, distributed 30 small cattle to 104 producers, 385 of which are women, in Bergama. Minister Tunç Soyer“As Atatürk said, the peasant is the master of the nation. We will not get tired, we will not get tired, we will not lose hope. Because my younger brothers are coming from behind. We will continue to produce in these fertile lands and live together in peace. We will end poverty, we will benefit equally from the abundance and fertility of the land.”
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyerİzmir Metropolitan Municipality, which continues to make people smile with the support it provides to local producers, farmers and villagers in line with the vision of "Another Agriculture is Possible", distributed 30 small cattle to 104 producers, 385 of which are women, in Bergama. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor attended the distribution ceremony held at Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Bergama Slaughterhouse. Tunç Soyer and Village-Koop İzmir Union Chairman of the Board Neptün Soyer, Bergama Çamavlu Cooperative President Mustafa Kocataş, CHP İzmir Provincial Youth Branch President Burak Kotan, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Ertuğrul Tugay, headmen, cooperative partners, producers and citizens. All manufacturers, Chairman Tunç SoyerHe thanked for his support.
President Soyer: “If there are no villagers, this nation does not exist, this country does not exist”
Speaking at the ceremony, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer“Why are we dealing with agriculture? Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said, 'The peasant is the master of the nation'. Because if there is no produce, no peasants, this nation does not exist, this country does not exist. As we produce, we have a future as we continue to produce in these fertile lands. For a long time, maybe 50 years, this sector has been losing blood constantly. Turkey has turned into a country that is constantly losing power, the producer is impoverished, we are dependent on foreign countries, and imports are increasing more and more. In our childhood we had the pride of being a self-sufficient economy in our country. We would be happy with that. We had local goods weeks, we had local animal breeds and local seeds. All given up, all left behind, destroyed. A handful of big industrialists, the industrialists who earned from imports in agriculture, were watched so that the small producer would disappear so that they could increase their earnings. It was watched that he was needy and impoverished. That's why, since the day we started our duty, our first priority, our top priority, has been agriculture. That's why we said 'another agriculture is possible'. Because it takes planning. There is currently no planning in agricultural policies. The producer is alone with his own destiny, in a hurry to save the day. Worried about her future… This is not destiny and it can change. That's why we, as Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, will continue to stand by our small producer.”
“May your struggle never end”
Emphasizing the words of Mustafa Kocataş, the Head of the Bergama Çamavlu Agricultural Development Cooperative, and the Head of Çamavlu Neighborhood, “Ovine breeding is our salvation”, Mayor Soyer said, “We need visionary muhtars who can look so bright. If they work with this horizon, then our Metropolitan Municipality will contribute a lot to our headmen and villages. Our only desire is to increase the support of our mukhtars in this journey we embarked on with good intentions. Only if this is the case, we can bring our young brothers and sisters together with production again. Rest assured, I am very happy to meet you and witness your excitement. As long as your excitement, your determination to produce, your struggle with the land and animal husbandry do not end. Have peace of mind. When you get stuck, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality will be with you. We will do whatever it takes to keep you breathing and not worrying about the future. Until the master of this nation becomes a peasant. As our ancestor said, we will continue to work until the master of the nation becomes a peasant. We will not get tired, we will not get tired, we will not lose hope. Because my younger brothers are coming from behind. We will continue to produce in these fertile lands and live together in peace. We will end poverty, we will equally benefit from the abundance of lands," he said.
Neptune Soyer: “We promise you we will never leave the pastures empty”
Neptün Soyer, Chairman of the Board of the Village-Koop İzmir Union, said, “If we can achieve this in Bergama, if we can work hand in hand, we can certainly do much more in Turkey, where animal husbandry has hit rock bottom in this economic crisis. Pasture livestock and sheep and goat breeding are the most ancient culture of Anatolia. One of the most important elements of our gastronomy. Input costs are high, everything is imported and we depend on the dollar. Cattle are also important, but in November 2022, the Dairy Council announced 8,5 liras for cow's milk. At that time the dollar was 18,60. We are living in 2023. The Dairy Council did not make any other statement, it released the milk market. There are some that sell at different prices. As a manufacturer, we do not want our sweat to be wasted in the free market. If there are peasants, agriculture will continue, the country will breathe. If we have shepherds in the pastures, we will be able to feed. Currently, the dollar is 22 liras. They are not talking about sustainable agriculture. We see how useful what we did 3 years ago was. We promise you that we will never leave the pastures empty.”
Kocataş: “Ovine breeding is our salvation”
Bergama Çamavlu Agricultural Development Cooperative President, Çamavlu Neighborhood Headman Mustafa Kocataş said, “Although agriculture is ignored today, agriculture is our biggest sine qua non. Small cattle farming is our salvation. We all know the costs in cattle breeding. The increases in feed prices and hay prices for the last week have been plaguing us. But there is a chance to use pastures as an alternative for small cattle. The more we evaluate the pastures, the more we reduce the expenses and the more we can earn. Small cattle are a very fast-breeding animal. It is an animal that we can solve the business problem in our country as quickly as possible. I would like to thank my President Tunç very much.”
Producers are happy: “As a young farmer, I want to make a mark”
Producer Cansu Ceylan said, “I want to be a young producer, I want to be a young farmer. I wanted to set a goal for myself, I set out to see how I would do it. I want to start with three animals and I want to multiply. Starting with three, 40-50 maybe 100-150s. As a young farmer, I want to put my name on it. I don't want to produce or outsource anything. I want to develop myself, then do foreign trade as an organic producer and show myself. Our Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, who made this contribution to us. Tunç Soyer'I thank you very much,' he said.
Producer Seher Engin said, “I am 28 years old, I am at the very beginning of the road, but I gained experience thanks to the trainings. I want my little girl to eat more organic products. All children should eat. I started production so that my daughter could eat healthy food. I hope I can succeed, I believe I will succeed. Thank you to our president," he said. Producer Ayten Köse said, “We want to breed and look after our sheep.” After the speeches, lots were drawn for the producers.
Livestock continues to be supported
Within the scope of the "Supporting Income Generating Activities in Rural Areas" project, in order to support animal husbandry in rural and mountain villages: Aliağa, Bayındır, Bergama, Beydağ, Dikili, Güzelbahçe, Karaburun, Kemalpaşa, Kınık, Kiraz, Menderes, Menemen, Ödemiş, Seferihisar, Selçuk, Tire İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, which distributes a total of 513 small cattle to 3 producers, 525 of which are women, in Torbalı and Urla districts, continues to support alternative income sources in economically disadvantaged villages. So far, 13 small cattle have been distributed to 745 producers, 58 of whom are women, from 106 neighborhoods in Bergama. With today's distribution, a total of 669 small cattle were distributed to 2 producers, 688 of which were women.