Overview of the Macro-economy and the Agricultural Sector in Turkey

This chapter provides a brief overview of the agricultural situation in Turkey since the mid-1980s, with particular emphasis on the nature of the structural impediments faced by the agricultural sector. It discusses trends in: the socio-economic role of agriculture in the overall economy changes in farm structures (e.g. farm holdings, sizes, types and human capital) the value of production, input and output prices, productivity and agricultural incomes agricultural trade (e.g. trends in agricultural exports, imports and the agricultural trade balance) and the relative economic importance and structure of the agri-food sector. As trends in agricultural policy in Turkey are closely linked to the evolution of the economy as a whole, and cannot be assessed in isolation from the macro-economic context, a brief discussion of key macro-economic aspects, such as fiscal deficits, inflation and exchange-rate changes, is also presented.