Turkey’s agriculture minister announced Monday that the ministry will subsidize 75% of seeds for farmers in 21 agricultural provinces across the country in an effort to prevent disruptions or delays during spring planting season amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said that the ministry conducted studies in designated provinces about the potential for increasing areas for planting to ensure food security during the crisis. He added that 75% of the seeds needed for the additional planting will be subsidized by the ministry as a promotional incentive and only a quarter of the costs will be covered by farmers.

Pakdemirli said the support program aims to increase yields in strategic products such as legumes, cereal and oilseed crops and guide farmers to use plantations more efficiently during the planting season.

The ministry started to distribute seeds of wheat, barley, beans, lentils, corn, sunflowers and rice, which were considered priority products in terms of ensuring food security.

Pakdemirli noted that 6,700 tons of certified seeds will be distributed and 364,000 decares will be planted during the first stage of the program. He added that the ministry estimated the additional yield to be around 80,000 tons and worth more than TL 220 million ($32 million).

As the coronavirus pandemic halted economic activity across major sectors, the agricultural industry has gained strategic importance with the government working to prevent any disruption in the nation's food supply. The government said last month that no problems are expected in the days and months to come as it has taken all the necessary measures to keep food production going.

In addition to meeting domestic demands, Turkey also increased its agri-exports during the pandemic, especially to the European markets, where food supply chains are facing hurdles due to the lack of foreign labor that is critical to farm production.