Erdoğan rolls out incentives to expand small livestock farming

ISTANBUL

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Feb. 21 unveiled a new support package aimed at boosting small livestock farming, saying the government will distribute animals, provide financial assistance and expand agricultural support programs.

Under the project, producers will initially be given 150,000 small livestock animals under favorable conditions. Each producer will receive 95 female and five male animals, while the state will provide annual maintenance and feeding support of 180,000 Turkish Liras ($4,100) for the livestock.

Producers will be able to finance the project through interest-free loans, with repayment options including a grace period of up to two years followed by repayment over as long as seven years.

"We will cover the insurance of the small livestock animals received by our producers benefiting from the project for one year," Erdoğan said at an event with farmers at the Haliç Congress Center in Istanbul.

He also said animals with superior genetics raised on farms of the General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises (TİGEM) will be distributed according to breeds suited to different regions.

"In this project, we will prioritize women and young producers. We will also give priority to young graduates from veterinary medicine, agriculture and food engineering who apply to this project. In this way, our young people will both establish their own businesses in their homeland and contribute to production and employment," he said.

"We will deliver the first animals to our breeders this year. I invite all young and female producers who want to engage in small ruminant farming to apply to this project."

Erdoğan said the government paid a total of 47 billion liras ($1.07 billion) last year to producers affected by agricultural frost in April, warning that changing climate conditions and global warming mean similar events are likely to continue and urging farmers to take out agricultural insurance.

He added that following livestock support payments made last year under a production plan launched in 2024, as well as payments for plant production will begin next month.

"Starting from March 6, we will transfer 81 billion liras [$1.84 billion] in basic and planned production support payments to our farmers' accounts within one month," he said.

Erdoğan said production has started in 14 "organized agricultural regions" and will begin for the first time in five additional areas this year.

He said total support provided to the sector in 2025 — including direct aid, credit support, investment allocations, intervention purchases and export support — reached 706 billion liras ($16.1 billion), while the amount allocated to agriculture directly and indirectly for 2026 is 939 billion liras ($21.4 billion).