US embassy cable - 04ANKARA4400

UNCLAS ANKARA 004400 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, ECON, ETRD, TU 
SUBJECT: CUKAROVA AG RESEARCHERS BRIEF ON SOUTHEASTERN 
ANATOLIA PROJECT 
 
(U) This cable was drafted by AmConsul Adana. 
 
1.  (SBU)  On July 26, PO and DPO attended an informal 
Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) background 
presentation by several of the former GAP chief 
agricultural researchers now residing as retired 
faculty at Cukurova university.  The briefing was based 
on approximately 18 month-old data, but was still 
informative.  The professors lamented the rise of 
salinity in the Adana area and noted that the process 
is beginning in Harran now due to heavy surface 
irrigation and almost exclusive cotton cultivation, a 
percentage that recommend be no greater than about 35% 
of the crop mix.  While they thought that Harran 
farmers would slowly adapt to the merits of crop 
rotation and mixed seasonal planting, including fruit 
trees and cash crops like almonds, they said it took 25 
years for Adana's Cukurova farmers to learn and the 
Harran plain area farmers did not have that long to 
adapt given terrain and salinity tendencies there in 
the face of sustained surface and sprinkler irrigation. 
They also lamented the limited (one-ninth finished, 
they claimed) development of the full GAP potential 
and, particularly, the lack of marketing of its goods 
to Middle Eastern markets. 
 
2.  (SBU)  One professor also remarked that Italian and 
Spanish firms are doing well in fruit cultivation joint 
ventures, mainly apples, in Nigde and northern Adana 
provinces, in addition to longer standing efforts in 
and around Antalya. They said that Italian firms are 
also doing well with specialty seasonal vegetables in 
Hatay. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Finally, in a discussion about the benefits 
of trickle irrigation, several professors said that 
they saw little evidence of sustained or substantial 
Israeli buying or investment in the Harran region, 
despite reports to the contrary. They said that Israeli 
firms regularly market irrigation, particularly drip or 
trickle type, technology in Harran, but there was no 
"run on land near Sanliurfa by Israeli investors that 
they had noticed."  This was seconded by the honorary 
German consul, who also unexpectedly attended.  They 
also said that mechanical cotton harvesting technology 
has never taken off down here, but could do so in Adana 
as it seems to be doing in Ege area, as boosted by a 
new Israeli-Uzbek joint venture (NFI) selling its 
machinery at low prices with good financing terms. 
They hypothesized that labor remains too cheap in the 
Harran area to see mechanical cotton harvesting 
successful. 
DEUTSCH