The Relationship between Agricultural Production, Agricultural Exports and Economic Growth in Türkiye: Cointegration and Causality Analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the influence of agricultural production and agricultural product exports on economic growth within the Turkish economy. To achieve this, annual data spanning from 1980 to 2022 were utilized to construct a model, employing the ARDL Bounds Test to discern the long-term cointegration relationship among variables and the Fourier Toda-Yamamoto Causality Test to determine causality relationships. The empirical findings from the ARDL Bounds Test indicate that increases in both agricultural production and agricultural product exports positively impact economic growth. Moreover, results from the Fourier Toda-Yamamoto Causality Test unveil a two-way causal relationship between agricultural production and GDP, while a one-way causality relationship is observed between agricultural product exports and GDP. Despite the declining share of the agricultural sector in GDP over the years in Turkey, these findings underscore the enduring importance of agriculture in driving economic growth and creating value. As potential solutions to Turkey's balance of payments challenges, strategies such as boosting domestic demand, expanding the domestic market, and augmenting agricultural sector contributions to foreign exchange earnings through agricultural export subsidies are proposed. Furthermore, efforts to mitigate income disparities between the agricultural sector and other sectors could foster socio-economic development in rural areas, thus promoting a more equitable distribution of national income across society.