The General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI), operating under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, has set an ambitious target to open an additional 64,000 hectares (158,154 acres) of agricultural land for irrigation in 2026. This expansion will increase the total irrigable area in Türkiye to 7.334 million hectares.
Comprehensive initiatives will be implemented to protect agricultural lands and ensure their efficient utilization. These efforts focus on several core priorities: preventing the misuse of existing farmland, disseminating modern farming techniques to enhance productivity, reclaiming fallow land to bring it back into active production and accelerating land consolidation projects.
By the end of 2025, the total consolidated land area is projected to reach 9.6 million hectares, with 7.8 million hectares already officially registered. For 2026, the plan includes initiating consolidation efforts on an additional 450,000 hectares, alongside completing registration processes for 352,000 hectares of land.
As part of land use planning, detailed soil surveys and mapping studies covering 755,000 hectares were finalized in 2024. The cumulative area of agricultural land with completed soil surveys and mapping is expected to expand from 3.6 million hectares in 2025 to 5.4 million hectares by 2026.
Efficient water use in agriculture remains a strategic priority given that agriculture accounts for the largest share of Türkiye’s limited water resources amid rising food demand. In line with this, efforts to expand irrigated areas continue, while upgrading outdated canal and ditch irrigation systems to modern closed-pipe irrigation technologies that enhance water-use efficiency.
By the end of the previous year, the number of water storage facilities reached 1,802, with a total capacity of 183,413 cubic hectometers. With the completion of 22 dams and seven reservoirs scheduled for this year, Türkiye's total water storage capacity is anticipated to increase slightly to 183,739 cubic hectometers.
This year, 70,000 hectares of land were brought under irrigation, raising the total irrigated area to 7.027 million hectares. The planned 64,000 hectares to be irrigated next year will further increase this figure to 7.334 million hectares.
Renovation activities for irrigation infrastructure have also been vigorous. Last year, renovation covered 80,313 hectares of gross irrigated land, with renewal works currently underway on 80 irrigation facilities encompassing 254,000 hectares. Additionally, planning and project phases are progressing for renewal projects affecting approximately 950,000 hectares.
Regarding irrigation system types, DSI’s portfolio as of last year consisted of 32% traditional irrigation systems, 32% canal-based systems and 36% modern piped irrigation systems. New projects will focus primarily on piped systems, aiming to substantially increase their share and deliver significant water savings in agricultural irrigation.
To promote water conservation and prevent overuse, pricing mechanisms based on actual water consumption in agriculture are planned for implementation. Installation of water meters on existing irrigation networks is ongoing. By the end of the previous year, 56,550 meters had been installed across 377 irrigation facilities, with plans to install an additional 12,000 meters on 80 facilities this year.
