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Turkey sees 'village uprising' as rural areas hit hard by liberal economic policies

In rural Turkey, farmers and livestock producers are fighting back against the government's new economic policies.
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY BURAK AKINCI  
A picture taken on May 27, 2015 shows a cattle farm in Cubuk district, near Ankara where farmers feel that the actual economic woes may have an adverse affect on the ruling AKP popularity ahead of June 7 general elections.  AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN        (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey's farmers, livestock producers and their related unions are emerging as a new and unexpected mass opposition in the country, staging rallies and marches to protest sustained heavy economic losses. Despite all their efforts to soothe the anger of Turkey's rural population, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government continue to grapple with this surprising opposition. As agricultural and livestock costs rise, farmers and livestock producers' products do not fetch appropriate prices, especially after the liberalizing of agricultural imports. The situation has prompted a near rebellion in rural areas impacted by the government's new economic policies, despite restrictions imposed by the state of emergency.

Businessmen are wary of directly challenging the Turkish state. They are intimidated by the arrests of scores of businessmen who have been accused of providing economic resources to the Gulen movement. The state has seized the properties and funds of many prominent companies.

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