Lemon Left on the Tree Despite 10 Lira Cost
· Tarım Pusulası
Lemon producers in Çukurova, entering the harvest season, are facing a deep crisis as traders offer 5 lira for a product whose kilogram cost reaches 10 lira.
Lemon Left on the Tree in Çukurova
In Adana and the Çukurova region, producers in lemon orchards that have reached harvest maturity are facing a serious shortage of buyers. Ayhan Barut, a Member of the Grand National Assembly's Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Affairs Commission, announced after inspecting citrus orchards that farmers are being forced to sell their produce below cost. Emphasizing that growing a lemon tree requires approximately 5 years of labor and investment, Barut stated that the inability to find buyers during the harvest season has deeply shaken the region's agriculture and called for urgent intervention.
Rising Costs and Low Prices
Citrus producers in the region are at risk of selling their products at a loss due to rising input costs. Agricultural Engineer Hüseyin Doğru, who has been providing consultancy and production in the sector for 35 years, reported that the kilogram cost for Mayer lemons is 8-9 lira, and the general lemon production cost is around 10 lira. However, Ayhan Barut stated that traders are offering producers only 5-6 lira per kilogram, and considering depreciation and living conditions, these figures are driving farmers to bankruptcy.
Oversupply in Storage and the Market
The fact that lemons, which previously reached up to 200 lira per kilogram in markets and grocery stores, cannot find buyers on the tree today highlights market imbalance. Agricultural Engineer Hüseyin Doğru stated that a significant oversupply has emerged in the market with the release of old season products stored in warehouses. Receiving information that spoilage has begun in stored products, Doğru noted that a similar stagnation is being experienced with early mandarin varieties, which are trading around 7-8 lira per kilogram, below cost.
Small Farmers and Production at Risk
It was pointed out that agricultural production is becoming more difficult each year due to labor, fuel, fertilizer, and high credit interest rates. Hüseyin Doğru stated that if the current economic conditions and the policy of selling below cost continue, many small farmers and family businesses will not be able to bear this burden. It was warned that if producers incur losses consecutively, orchards will be neglected, or citrus trees will have to be cut down, as happened in previous years.
Call for Support for the Citrus Sector
Ayhan Barut, a Member of the Grand National Assembly's Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Affairs Commission, stated that direct support should be provided to farmers in all citrus production areas, especially Adana, Hatay, and Mersin, emphasizing that steps to protect producers must be taken urgently, and added:
"At the same time, you would be supporting the consumer."