Are The Costs Incurred In Growing The Crop Taken Into Account When Paying The ‘Ushr?

Are the costs incurred in growing the crop taken into account when paying the ‘ushr?

As a principle, ‘ushr is paid as one tenth for the products farmed in fields whose watering is costless and one twentieth the products farmed in fields whose watering is costly and requires effort. It is a controversial subject whether modern-day farming expenses such as fertilizer, pest control and gasoline along with watering should be considered while calculating the ‘ushr. The idea of including these to calculation of the ‘ushr is much favorable because these additional expenses take a significant part of the cost of the production. In this regard, agricultural products are subject to zakat/‘ushr at the rate of 1/10 if it reaches to nisab amount after the deduction of these additional expenses including watering. If zakat is given without the deduction of these expenses, it must be at the rate of 1/20.

The nisab amount on agricultural products is five wasqs for storagable products such as wheat, barley, corn and rice. Today’s equivalent of this measure changes depending on the product between 653-1000 kg; for example, it corresponds to 653 kg for wheat. For the products apart from these, the amount is equivalent to the value of five wasqs of the least valuable one from the aforementioned products. The same conditions are valid for the products farmed in greenhouses.

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA