Reflections of the Covid-19 Pandemic on production and economy

04.02.2021
Reflections of the Covid-19 Pandemic on production and economy

Savaş Çokduygulu- Board member of GJC

Of course, the negativity created by the pandemic in our country is also reflected in our city. Small trades are in trouble. Every sector was affected by the measures. Especially in agriculture, the cornerstone of our country producers in Adana, are having a very difficult time.

Municipalities fulfill their responsibilities with extraordinary effort. They do a lot of work in terms of serving citizens, from morning breakfasts to serving hot meals to homes. In addition to disinfecting public transport vehicles, numerous cleaning measures are also applied, such as spraying bus stops, apartment buildings, elevators located here. These services of local government are admirable.

In our country, the efforts made by the Ministry of Health under the auspices of our president and the measures taken show how strong Turkey is. While health services around the world have been significantly disrupted, paid, the government in Turkey has provided many health services to citizens free of charge, which has been an example to the whole world. Remember, when the epidemic first started in the world, all its citizens stranded abroad, the Republic of Turkey, brought home on private planes.

If we look at the repercussions of the epidemic on our country’s economy, we can see that some of our habits have also changed. Companies, most of the industrialists, started holding their meetings online. In order to strictly comply with the measures, the work was shaped accordingly and the work hours were revised. At this point, curfew restrictions were imposed on weekends and certain hours. Of course, it’s not enough to have curfew restrictions at certain hours.
We, as the Global Journalists Council, have followed the rules of mask, distance and cleanliness since the first days of the pandemic. We also had many meetings online. Of course, digital meetings are not as efficient as face-to-face meetings in companies, so their repercussions on the economy have been different.

Turkey is struggling economically in difficult conditions during the pandemic. Industrialists’ work towards exports has almost come to a standstill. This is not a simple industrial exchange, thousands of people work alongside industrialists who export, making a living. We know that these industrialists also give great support to hundreds of sectors. We believe that an economic support package is essential for industrialists.

On the other hand, when we look at these struggles on a provincial basis, it is obvious that the conditions in the provinces are even more severe. Adana in agriculture, we said, is one of the cornerstones of production. Of course, the epidemic has hit not only people, but also agriculture. The farmer can no longer calculate how much loss he will make. Many farmers who cannot pay their debts to agricultural credit cooperatives now have foreclosures on their tractors and tools.

The peasant is shabby, the producer is shabby, the worker is shabby. Seasonal agricultural workers who come to the country for bread money from various parts of Turkey face various problems, especially housing. The government must address the grievances of both farmers and seasonal agricultural workers. Looking at the situation, the farmer is not happy because of the epidemic, and the agricultural worker is not happy. As for the consumer, they are also not satisfied due to the high prices, the trader is not satisfied at all.

Given the current situation, new methods of support should be developed and implemented, rather than new measures.
Bad economics can be changed. And how do we ensure that?
We provide it with a strong state structure that produces; we provide it by cooperating.
As a result, the most important issue in production is this: Cooperationization should be made a state policy.
If the problem of the countryside is solved, the problems of the cities are solved.