Presidential Decision on Supporting the Service Fee for Water Use for Agricultural Irrigation was published in the Official Gazette.
With the decision, it is aimed to contribute to ensuring food supply security and sustainability in agricultural production by reducing production costs and increasing competitiveness by supporting the water usage service fees of farmers engaged in agricultural production in irrigation fields operated by irrigation unions and cooperatives this year.
Accordingly, 50 percent of the water usage service fee determined by the irrigation unions in accordance with their own procedures and principles will be paid primarily to the relevant irrigation union by the water user producer. The remaining 50 percent of the water usage service fee will be transferred to the irrigation unions on behalf of the producers from the relevant budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Compensation based on payment to be created by irrigation unions will be sent to the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI). After the necessary checks are made and approved by DSI, the conclusions will be forwarded to the Ministry to be paid. Payments will be transferred to the account of the relevant irrigation unions on behalf of the producers.
A 50 percent support payment will be made to producers who pay the water usage service fee accrued on behalf of the producers by the irrigation cooperatives within the period.
At the end of 2023 production year, the icmals belonging to the producers who have paid the water usage service fee by the irrigation cooperatives will be delivered to the provincial-district agriculture and forestry directorates. The icmals, which are checked and approved by the directorates, will be sent to the Ministry to be paid.
It will be required to be registered with the ÇKS
The producers who will benefit from this support will be required to be registered with the Farmer Registration System (ÇKS).
The support application within the scope of the decision will start as of January 1, 2023 and will end on December 31, 2023.
The necessary resources for the payments related to the supports will be met from the agricultural support budget of the Ministry for the year 2023.
Due to Ziraat Bank’s services regarding the implementation of the decision, 0.2 percent of the support amount paid will be paid separately as a commission.
The Ministry will be authorized to take measures to ensure the supervision of support payments.
The decision entered into force with effect from 1 January 2023.
Minister Nabati: The service fee will fall below the previous year’s levels
In a statement on Twitter, Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati said that they have added a new step to the steps taken by farmers to reduce input costs.
Nabati has been published in the CBK Official Gazette regarding the support of the 2023 agricultural irrigation tariff by 50% from the agricultural support budget in order to reduce the energy costs in agricultural irrigation upon the intense demand from our farmers. Thus, with a 50% discount to the water usage service fee, which has increased by 80 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, the water usage service fee in 2023 will decrease to the levels of the previous year,” he said.
