It is one of the first questions that pop into people’s minds in such difficult times:

The question of, "Will we, as a country, starve?"

Yesterday I asked Bekir Pakdemirli, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, about our agriculture and food status.

Thank god his response was positive.

He explained the situation as follows:

“The pandemic begun during an agriculturally stable period. The harvest season is upon us. We will not have any problems during this process. Our people can put their minds at ease. ”

We conclude from Minister Pakdemirli’s response that the measures and decisions taken against the epidemic are mostly related to the post-October period.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has already publicly warned of a possible new wave come autumn.

It is of great benefit to be prepared for the possibility of “challenging times ahead” in the food and agriculture sector, which are basic necessities.

Measures such as introducing export restrictions for some products, planting all available fertile lands, and allocating the land of the treasury to the citizens are all in place.

The manufacturers may not be very pleased, but there is a bright side for our people due to the export limitation on some products:

Higher quality products are coming to their tables.

For example, as a good lemon consumer, I can easily vouch:

Since the limitation of exports, juicy lemons are coming our way.

Previously, these produce went to export markets, and the ones we got barely had a few drops of juice in them.

Minister Pekdemirli has the following to say on the matter:

"We restricted the export of onions, and prices went back to normal. We did the same with lemons. If we were to lift the export ban on lemons today, the price would hit 30 TL. For this exact reason, we will not allow lemons to be exported until at least next September."

At such times, it is crucial not only to avoid a possible famine but also the feeling that there might be an impending food crisis.

In many countries, footage of people panic-buying at markets, fighting over toilet paper, and emptying shelves were everywhere.

It seems that springing to action ahead of time, as in the field of healthcare, has provided us with an important advantage.

Action was taken before the first case even arrived in Turkey.

When Minister Pakdemirli gathered with the relevant sector representatives, including retailers, the participants responded, "What is going on? Is there something we don’t know?"

When the shelves were chock-full and well-stocked and the products needed were easily available as they were in normal times, panic or even possible cases of looting were avoided.

Those over 65 have not been able to leave the house for a month-and-a-half.

Indeed, this was the right call and it did serve its purpose.

Thus, the elderly who were at high-risk due to the coronavirus epidemic were protected.

This practice was indeed one of the factors behind the lower mortality rate in Turkey compared to other countries.

However, now may be the time to gradually ease this ban in a way that doesn’t put our elderly at risk.

The other day, I asked virologist Prof. Mehmet Ceyhan about what can be done in this regard?

He made the following suggestion:

“On the days of general curfew, elderly people should be allowed to leave the house under certain rules. Otherwise, staying at home and not being phsyically active still can cause some other health problems. ”

When I suggested this to Public Health Expert Mustafa Necmi İlhan, he was a little cautious.

He pointed that he would wait a while longer due to the risks involved, such as the spread of infection during elevator use.

It is well-established that being/walking in uncrowded and open environments does not constitute a risk.

But if a decision to relax these rules is made, will everyone, including all the elderly, abide by it?

This is another question.

Authorities will probably make a decision after weighing all the pros and cons.