Farming habits ‘must be reviewed’ due to ‘serious drought’

A “SERIOUS drought” is facing the TRNC this year, Agriculture and Natural Resources Minister Erkut Şahali has warned, telling farmers they should be prepared for changes to traditional practices in response to the lack of rain.

He said the water shortage in some areas “cannot be resolved”, while even areas previously considered drought-free were now also suffering, and as a result farming habits had to be reviewed.

“We need to . . . consider [growing crops] that are less affected by drought and yet can still used as fodder for animals . . .

“We need to ask ourselves if we are doing things right or not, to understand what needs to be done to improve productivity and create a fertile land.”

Mr Şahali said this underscored the need for an “integrated recording system” for both arable and livestock farming.

“We need to know the state of all production and what sort of processes are being followed in a given period of time to see when and exactly how work needs to be done for a better result, enabling us to control our spending properly,” he said, adding: “We are working on all of this.”

Mr Şahali said crop rotation and letting farmland lie fallow for a while might be the way to go in order to improve productivity.

“So, if a farmer grows barley for a year, the following year he should grow pulses,” he explained.

“We do not always have to harvest barley and we could import it from abroad at a low cost. However products such as fodder, silage etc needed by the livestock industry are not always easily imported. We need to grow more convenient and inexpensive crops from now on.”

Mr Sahali said that from June, agricultural information and regulations for the following year would be made public, including any implications for food production.

He urged farmers to prepare, saying subsidies and other financial support would only be given to those who cooperate.