Agriculture in Turkey is an important part of the economy, and is the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Half of the land is agricultural, employing 18% of the workforce, and providing 10% of exports, and 7% of GDP in 2020. There are half a million farmers. Turkey is a major producer of wheat, sugar beets, milk, poultry, cotton, tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables. , Turkey is the world's largest producer of hazelnuts and apricots. In 2021, Turkey received 65 percent of all imported wheat from Russia and more than 13 percent from Ukraine. Turkish agriculture emits greenhouse gases. According to the World Bank the sector should adapt more to climate change in Turkey and make technical improvements. 14% of food was lost during agricultural processing in 2016, and 23% was trashed by consumers before eating and 5% as leftovers. The livestock industry, compared to the initial years of the Republic, showed little improvement in productivity, and the later years of the decade saw stagnation. However, livestock products, including meat, milk, wool, and eggs, contributed to more than of the value of agricultural output. Almost all the seeds used in Turkey are produced domestically. Turkey is the EU's fourth largest non-EU vegetable supplier and the seventh largest fruit supplier. The European Commission had already started the formal process for extending the Customs Union Agreement to agricultural products, before European Union–Turkey relations deteriorated and efforts to extend and modernize the Customs Union Agreement came to a halt in 2018. History Historically, Turkey's farmers have been fairly fragmented. The government initiated many projects, such as the Southeastern Anatolia Project. Crops Cereals In 2021 the country was almost self-sufficient in cereals. Fruit and veg Greenhouses have a competitive advantage over EU ones due to lower costs, and tropical fruit can be grown. Avocado cultivation in Turkey has shown significant improvement in recent years. In addition, banana cultivation in the Mediterranean region of Turkey has an important potential. Grapes Turkey is the world's fourth largest producer of grapes for wine production, with over of vineyards. Turkey's total grape production was 4,264,720 tonnes in 2009, 4,255,000 tonnes in 2010, 4,296,351 tonnes in 2011, and 4,275,659 tonnes in 2012, ranking sixth in the world in all four years, according to FAO data. Olives There are almost 200 million trees and Turkey produces about 200 thousand tonnes of olive oil a year. Edremit (Ayvalık)