国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Bitter controversy sparked by Turkeys plan to privatize sugar plants_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Bitter controversy sparked by Turkeys plan to privatize sugar plants

The objection formulated by a sugar beet farmer of Ankara during a meeting organized in a fancy hotel went viral on social media.

In front of labor union representatives, Nihat Babaozlu, a farmer in his 50s, told the audience that they were doomed to die as a whole sector if the notorious plan was to go on.

"No one is paying attention to our cause, which is essential for the country. Listen all! We are dying slowly," he lamented.

LIVELIHOOD OF FARMERS THREATENED?

Sugar beet industry played a crucial role in Turkey's industrialization in the early 1930s by building infrastructure in rural areas as well as providing job opportunities for local people.

Workers fear that the privatization will drag down their livelihood standards as buyers will be free to claim losses and close facilities after a period of five years.

Along with the opposition party, they have accused the U.S.-based multinational company Cargill, operating in Turkey since 1986, of benefiting from this scheme, which the company swiftly denied.

The head of a leading Turkish agriculture association has voiced concerns about the privatization plan, insisting that sugar is a strategically vital product.

Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture head Semsi Bayraktar said this plan "should be reconsidered."

Nearly 2.1 million tons of sugar is consumed annually, Bayraktar said, adding that this demand should be met by local sources in an effort to maintain independence from foreign sources in this key product.