Natural disasters, including floods, excessive rainfall, hail, storms and frost, damaged nearly 900,000 hectares of agricultural land across Türkiye during the first six months of 2026, the head of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture (TZOB) said, warning that the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather are placing growing pressure on agricultural production.
In a statement evaluating the impact of natural disasters on farming during the first half of the year, TZOB Chair Şemsi Bayraktar said producers in more than 70 provinces had been affected and stressed that the damage extends beyond agriculture, with consequences for the country's food supply and rural economy.
Bayraktar said the number and intensity of natural disasters have increased in both Türkiye and around the world in recent years. Citing a report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), he noted that the average annual cost of natural disasters to the global agricultural sector has risen from $64 billion in the 1990s to $144 billion in recent years.
He added that natural disasters caused an estimated $3.26 trillion in agricultural losses worldwide between 1991 and 2023, damaging 4.6 billion tons of cereals, 2.8 billion tons of fruit and vegetables, and 900 million tons of meat and dairy products over the past 3 decades.
Describing 2025 as a "year of disasters" for agriculture, Bayraktar said severe weather events have continued to affect the sector throughout 2026. He said he had personally visited producers in more than 70 provinces to assess the damage firsthand.
According to Bayraktar, floods and flash floods, excessive rainfall, hail, storms, frost, heavy snowfall, tornadoes and landslides all caused losses during the first 6 months of the year.
Nearly 900,000 hectares of farmland were affected nationwide, with floods and flash floods accounting for almost half of the damaged area.
During the first half of 2026, floods and flash floods were recorded in 28 provinces, frost in 22 provinces, excessive rainfall in 14 provinces, hail in 14 provinces, storms in nine provinces, heavy snowfall in 9 provinces, and landslides and tornadoes in 6 provinces each.
"The severity of natural disasters and the pressure they place on agricultural production are increasing every year," Bayraktar said.
He warned that natural disasters not only destroy crops but also erase farmers' investments in seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, fuel and labor, leaving many producers with significant financial losses after an entire production season.
Bayraktar said the 2025-2026 agricultural season is expected to be productive across much of the country, but farmers who lost their crops and income because of natural disasters would not benefit from those favorable conditions.
He reiterated the importance of agricultural insurance but noted that the coverage rate remains low despite government support because insurance premiums are still high relative to farmers' incomes.
While insured farmers will be compensated for their losses, Bayraktar said uninsured producers have also suffered heavily from this year's disasters.
He called on authorities to provide direct financial assistance to those farmers and urged the restructuring of debts owed to Ziraat Bank and the Agricultural Credit Cooperatives.
"No producer should be overlooked simply because the season is expected to be productive," he said.
