Crop diversity soars due to GAP project

DİYARBAKIR - Anatolia News Agency

The Southern Anatolian Action Plan’s (GAP) water irrigation system leads to a five-fold increase in crop production and diversity in the Southeast. AA photo

The Southern Anatolian Action Plan (GAP)’s watering canals and irrigation system will allow the southeastern provinces of Diyarbakır and Batman to provide five times the variety and level of agriculture products, according to the Government’s Waterworks Office (DSİ) 10th Region Manager, Türkay Özgür.
Özgür told Anatolia news agency that with the GAP plan there had been a marked improvement in the provinces of Siirt, Batman, Mardin, Şırnak and Diyarbakır, not only in irrigation water, but also drinking water.

“With huge canals, our lands will be able to soak up the water. Once the land is watered there will be five times the amount of crops and producers will be able to receive ten times the amount for two products. There are examples of this. In Batman, in the areas where we have canals, farmers are able to plant double the crops,” Özgür said, adding that this had resulted in an expansion in fruit and vegetable crops.