İstanbul Governor's Office holds 'ceremony' to distribute potatoes, onions to the poor

Deputy governor speaks to reporters in front of trucks loaded with potatoes and onions

Click to read the article in Turkish

The government has started taking unsold potatoes and onions from producers and distributing them to low-income households.

Upon an order by President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) started sending unsold products to governors' offices of the 81 provinces, which will distribute them to people in need.

İstanbul's handling of the issue received criticism on social media after a "ceremony" was held to distribute the vegetables.

A video released by the Governor's Office shows Deputy Governor Özlem Bozkurt-Gevrek making a statement to reporters in front of trucks full of potatoes and onions.

A total of 164,000 families in the city will be provided with 20 kilograms of potatoes and 10 kilograms of onions each, said the deputy governor.

Üreticilerimize destek olmak amacıyla @TCTarim Bakanlığı'nca temin edilen patates ve soğanların ilimize sevkiyatı başladı. @ailevecalisma Bakanlığınca İstanbul'da belirlenen 164 bin ihtiyaç sahibi aileye, İlçe Sosyal Yardımlaşma ve Dayanışma Vakıflarımızca dağıtılıyor. pic.twitter.com/2PoyifivgX

— TC İstanbul Valiliği (@TC_istanbul) April 11, 2021

"A rights-based approach"

Hacer Foggo from the Deep Poverty Network, an NGO working in low-income neighborhoods, told bianet that it was an important initiative for poor households but the people who were solidarized shouldn't be revealed.

"I think it's important, potatoes are a satisfying food. Hunger is so widespread that I don't question anything that is distributed," she said. "Potatoes and onions aren't enough. And of course, this shouldn't be turned into a show. This solidarity should be rights-based.

"Not only potatoes but also vegetables should be distributed. There are families with Covid, they can't access food. I ask all of them. They say, 'Covid is found and the food doesn't come the next day.'

"There is a need for vegetables and fruits regularly. This assistance should be provided systematically. Our studies also showed that. Mothers are malnourished. Children also have the same problem.

"Children have bursts of anger because they are confined to home, can't access food. We are in favor of rights-based solidarity and we suggest that the state could adopt this approach in the distribution of potatoes and onions."

"Not farmers but traders"

Abdullah Aysu, an agriculture expert and a farmer, told bianet that unsold potatoes probably belonged to traders rather than farmers.

Most farmers in Turkey don't have cold storage facilities or places where they can keep potatoes, he said. "Potatoes are sold to traders first. When traders gave the product that they couldn't sell to the state, this free distribution happened." (EMK/VK)