Turkey’s Green Reconciliation Action Plan: Advancing Sustainable Agriculture

On August 2, 2021, Turkey unveiled its Green Reconciliation Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy designed to enhance sustainability across agriculture, industry, and transport sectors while maintaining global competitiveness. This initiative aligns with Europe’s Green Deal and the Fit-for-55 climate targets, aiming to reduce the environmental footprint of Turkish exports, particularly to the European Union, Turkey’s largest trading partner.

Key Objectives and Strategies

• Promoting Organic Farming: As the world’s top exporter of organic olive oil, Turkey intends to expand organic and biotechnical agricultural methods, reducing reliance on pesticides, antimicrobials, and chemical fertilizers. This shift addresses growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products and creates opportunities for sustainable development.

• Technological Innovation: The plan supports integrating new technologies to increase agricultural efficiency and productivity, ensuring environmental and social sustainability.

• Renewable Energy and Recycling: Emphasis on renewable energy sources—especially geothermal energy—and recycling initiatives across farming and industrial processes aim to lower emissions and resource consumption.

• Land Consolidation and Farm Investment: New registration and land consolidation activities will facilitate expansion and modernization of farms and agri-business investments.

• Consumer Awareness and Environmental Labeling: Efforts will be made to increase public understanding of product life cycles and introduce a national environmental labeling system, backed by a centralized database tracking raw materials, processes, and emissions.

Context and Impact

• Turkey’s exports to the EU exceeded €120 billion in 2020, with over 42% destined for EU countries soon to enforce stricter import sustainability rules.

• The government highlights Turkey’s vulnerability to climate change due to its geographical position, reinforcing the urgency of sustainable agricultural transformation.

• A dedicated task force including universities, manufacturers, and technology firms will oversee plan implementation to maximize effectiveness and innovation.

Government Statement

Mehmet Muş, Turkey’s Trade Minister, emphasizes,
"The Green Reconciliation Action Plan is a roadmap compatible with transformational policies worldwide, especially within the EU. It encourages green investments, contributes to transforming global value chains, and supports value-added production."

Turkey’s ambitious plan signals a vital step toward environmentally conscious agriculture and industry, ensuring long-term competitiveness in key export markets while protecting natural resources and public health. For producers and consumers in the organic and sustainable sector, this initiative offers promising prospects for innovation, quality, and ecological stewardship in Turkish agricultural products.

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