ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the problems of agricultural development in Turkey between 1963 and 1983. State agricultural price supports largely protected domestic producers against foreign competition. Originally this program began in 1932 when the state decided to protect wheat producers against the world-scale decline in wheat prices caused by the great depression. In modern agriculture, increase in productivity is associated with the use of modern inputs for production. These inputs of the last three decades include farm machinery, fertilizers, chemicals and high yield seeds and are called “Green Revolution” technology. The increased use of modern inputs in agriculture during the Plan Period resulted in higher yields in agricultural commodities. One additional factor inhibits agricultural development in Turkey—the distribution of land among farmers. With the adoption of the January 1980 economic package, Turkish agricultural development became attached to the country’s foreign debt obligations.
