Extreme weather events linked to climate change are taking an increasing toll on Türkiye’s agricultural sector, with crop damage reports and insurance payouts rising sharply in recent years, according to data from the Agricultural Insurance Pool (TARSİM).
The number of crop insurance damage notifications increased by 51.2 percent year-on-year in 2025, while compensation payments surged from 8 billion Turkish Liras in 2023 to 12 billion liras in 2024 and 35 billion liras in 2025. In the first 10 months of 2026, producers received 13 billion liras in compensation payments, bringing total payouts over the past four years to nearly 70 billion liras.
TARSİM data showed that damage notifications in crop insurance rose from 284,357 in 2024 to 430,076 in 2025. In the January-October period of this year, total damage notifications across all agricultural insurance branches reached 478,000, including 311,000 related to crop and greenhouse insurance.
The main causes of agricultural losses have changed over time. Hail, frost, wild boars, floods and storms were the leading sources of damage reports in 2023, while hail dominated in 2024. Agricultural frost became the primary cause in 2025, whereas floods and water inundation emerged as the most damaging events in 2026.
In crop insurance, hail accounted for 123,239 damage notifications, or 43.3 percent of the total in 2024. In 2025, frost-related claims rose to 171,558, representing 39.8 percent of all notifications. This year, floods and water inundation became the most significant source of losses, while frost damage remained more localized.
The provinces recording the highest number of claims in the January-October period were Malatya, Manisa, Diyarbakır, Amasya and Tokat. Hazelnut-producing areas in Samsun, Ordu and Giresun were affected by floods, water inundation and landslides, while reports of damage caused by wild animals and birds increased in corn- and sunflower-growing regions.
This year, lentils, wheat and barley were hit by floods, hail and storms, while peaches and nectarines suffered hail-related damage. Grapes and apricots were also affected by lighter hailstorms and frost.
Under the TARSİM system, insured agricultural land totaled 33 million decares in 2023, 35.6 million decares in 2024, 44.3 million decares in 2025, and 27 million decares as of October 2026. According to TARSİM, insurance coverage in crop and greenhouse insurance stood at around 30 percent at the end of 2025.
