CHP leader pledges support to farmers

EDİRNE

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu criticized the government for its economic policies and has promised to support farmers in Türkiye if his party comes to power in the upcoming elections.

“We will give farmers red diesel without VAT and [special consumption tax] SCT. Our farmers will be able to buy that diesel without SCT and VAT. The state will pay the insurance premiums of women and youth working in rural areas,” Kılıçdaroğlu said on Aug. 9, speaking in northwestern Edirne province.

The CHP decided to convene its parliamentary group meetings in different provinces after the parliament went into recess, and Kılıçdaroğlu addressed the party members in Edirne.

“Today, we went to a sunflower field. We met with farmers, we listened to their problems. If you want to solve a problem, you will listen to the person. They say ‘we have a shortage of diesel.’ They say ‘we have a fertilizer problem.’ They say that ‘there is a problem with the medicine and the seeds.’ They say ‘we will sell the product or if we make a loss,’” he said.

After the pandemic, the whole world learned that agriculture is a strategic sector, Kılıçdaroğlu said. “Can those who administer us learn that agriculture is a strategic sector? During the Erdoğan administration, $34.5 billion was paid for the import of sunflower and similar products,” Kılıçdaroğlu stated.

The CHP leader also pledged to bring Family Support Insurance. “In 1971, the parliament of Türkiye promised to implement the Family Support Insurance. Why hasn’t it been implemented until now? Because they exploit poverty,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.