The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Tuesday that the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye caused $6.7 billion in losses and damage to crops, livestock production, food stocks and agricultural infrastructure and assets.

Joining the bi-weekly UN press briefing from Ankara, FAO Representative in Türkiye Viorel Gutu said that since the earthquakes, the organization had been on the ground in the affected provinces and working closely with the Presidency of Strategy and Budget and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to assess the situation.

"The FAO’s initial impact assessment report showed that the earthquakes had caused unimaginable devastation in 11 provinces, affecting 14.6 million people," Gutu said.

"Those 11 provinces accounted for 20% of Türkiye's agricultural production, 15% of its agricultural GDP, 18.7% of its agricultural and forestry exports, and were a significant contributor to domestic consumption and export," he added.

Noting that the FAO was developing a framework to prioritize needs and provide immediate support in the four most affected provinces of Hatay, Adiyaman, Kahramanmaras and Malatya plus two districts in Gaziantep to address those challenges, he said that in the medium to long term, the organization would shift its focus from response to proactively maintaining, restoring and improving agri-food systems and rural livelihoods.

To achieve this, the FAO would promote innovative approaches and invest in technology and climate-smart agriculture, he added, AA reports.