Commission passes ‘Cargill bill’

The commission convened under Justice and Development (AK) Party Adana Deputy
Vahit Kirisci on Thursday. After evaluating Sezer’s veto reasons, the commission
passed the bill, which critics say is meant to enable illegally built industrial
and agribusiness facilities to continue their operations.

Under the bill,
in order to acquire permits and continue running, firms illegally operating will
have to apply to the Agriculture Ministry within a year of the law coming into
force and pay YTL 5 (€2.67) for each square meter of occupied
land.

Critics charge the bill stipulates a backdoor amnesty for certain
firms that have built and run industrial complexes without obtaining required
permits. These firms are said to include US-based agribusiness giant Cargill,
which is alleged to have close ties with a number of government
figures.