Turkey ramps up oil production in Gabar: Erdogan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday announced that the daily production of oil in Gabar field in the Kurdish province of Sirnak has reached over 43,000 barrels, revealing his cabinet’s plan to increase it to 100,000. 

“We broke the Republic's record by increasing daily oil production in Gabar to more than 43 thousand 380 barrels, and we aim to reach 100 thousand barrels per day by the end of the year,” Erdogan told reporters following a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. 

In December 2022, Erdogan announced the discovery of the oil field in Sirnak’s Mount Gabar, containing an estimated 150 million barrels valued at approximately $12 billion.

Sirnak is a small province in southeastern Turkey, bordering the Kurdistan Region.

Turkey is struggling with crippling economic woes with its currency losing value and people facing soaring inflation and a cost of living crisis.

Mehmet Yarka, former mayor of Sirnak, said in March that the city's booming economy had kickstarted a reverse migration from the bigger cities back to Sirnak.

“Sirnak has grown and developed a lot. People build homes and invest, and those who left the city due to issues, are now returning from Adana, Ankara, Mersin, and Istanbul,” Yarka said at the time.