Istanbul farms cover 14% of megacity, boosting grain output

Istanbul’s provincial director of agriculture and forestry Suat Parildar stated that the megacity’s 183,600 acres of cultivated land represent 14% of its total area and contribute significantly to Türkiye’s food security, with 82% of the cultivated area registered under a central production plan gathering 6,000 farmers.

Strategic crop yields surge

Authorities have designated forage crops and staple field crops — namely wheat, barley, sunflower, canola, dry beans and chickpeas — as strategic assets for inland agriculture. "The wheat production yield this year is 20-25% higher than last," Parildar said, building on the 133,074 metric tons of wheat and 25,209 tons of barley produced last year.

He noted that last year also yielded nearly 44,800 tons of sunflowers and around 14,195 tons of canola. Both crops are expected to see a nearly 30% production boost this year alongside similar increases for more than 60 tons of dry beans and 37 tons of chickpeas harvested during the previous season.

State subsidies and support programs

Ankara provided farmers operating in the city with over 525 million Turkish lira ($13.3 million) last year, which covered 100% of diesel fuel costs and 50% of fertilizer expenses, according to the provincial directorate. Subsidies for wheat, barley and forage crops were raised by over 18% this season to offset rising input costs.

Türkiye’s Agriculture and Forestry Ministry provided 75% grants to supply greenhouse plastics and distributed more than 2 million tomato, cucumber, lettuce and broccoli seedlings to local producers. The provincial directorate is working to preserve local heirloom varieties alongside commercial operations.

Logistics and export capacity

Parildar stated that growing subsidized crops within or adjacent to city limits offers massive logistical advantages to farmers. Local agricultural cooperatives can process and distribute regional harvests quickly to meet domestic demand and supply export markets.