Turkish Food Engineers: 'We Must Produce' Amidst Land Conversion Concerns

A delegation from the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) Food Engineers Chamber visited Cumhuriyet newspaper to discuss critical issues facing the nation's food security and agricultural sector. Key concerns raised included the conversion of fertile agricultural land for development and the erosion of engineers' rights.

Expressing strong opposition to the rezoning of prime agricultural land in Samandağ for housing projects, the engineers asserted, "We can't chew coal or concrete. We must produce." They emphasized the urgent need for state-led agricultural policies to ensure domestic food production and prevent reliance on global corporations. The chamber argued that individual measures are insufficient to address food security challenges.

Chamber President İbrahim Uğur Toprak pointed out that Turkey's last nationwide soil analysis was conducted in the 1960s. This lack of planning, he stated, leaves farmers at the mercy of global monopolies. Toprak also raised concerns about public health, noting that products exported from Turkey but rejected abroad due to pesticide contamination are often consumed domestically, posing a risk to citizens.

The delegation also addressed the issue of misinformation in the media, particularly from non-expert sources. They called for professional organizations like theirs to have a stronger voice in the press to ensure that scientifically accurate information reaches the public and to counter the "information pollution" that undermines informed decision-making.