Problems of Farmers in Sheep Production in the Westernern Mediterranean Region

Turkey is among the leading countries in the world in sheep breeding because of its geographical and ecological characteristics. The number of sheep was realized as about 30 million heads in 2016 in Turkey. Turkey’s total milk production was approximately 18.5 million tons in 2016, and 6.3% of it was sheep milk. Turkey’s sheep number has decreased by 21.4% in the last 25 years. The sheep number in the Western Mediterranean Region constituted 3.04% of Turkey in 2016. There was a decrease of 27.1% in the presence of sheep in the Western Mediterranean Region between 2000 and 2009, with an increase in the last 5 years due to the support. However, it is important to meet the requirement of red meat consumption in the country and region, to contribute to the industrial sector from the supplied raw materials, and also to determine the situation and problems of the enterprises in sheep farming, considering the employment effect in terms of both rural and industrial sectors. In this study, it was aimed that to determine the situation of sheep breeding in the region and the problems of breeders. Sample size was calculated as 102 farms by the stratified sampling method. The data were obtained from sheep producers in Antalya, Isparta and Burdur with face-to-face interview technique. Grazing in the region and high input prices were among the most important problems. Therefore, it is suggested to improve the protection of existing pasture areas, to develop policies for reducing input prices, to provide support loans in feed and increase support.

Keywords:

Sheep, Farm, Problem Western Mediterranean Region, Turkey,

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