One Tank of Diesel Costs 373 Kilos of Wheat, According to TMO Data

September 17, 2026 · TMO

As diesel prices climb to 102.60 TL per liter, the cost of filling an average 60-liter tractor tank now equates to 373 kilograms of wheat based on the Turkish Grain Board's (TMO) purchase price.

With the latest increases in fuel prices, diesel has surpassed the 100 TL threshold. As of September 17, 2026, the retail price of diesel in Konya has risen to 102.60 TL per liter. During this ongoing production season, upward movements in fuel tariffs are directly impacting the primary expenditure items for agricultural enterprises. Fuel expenses for farmers' mechanization operations are being reshaped within the framework of market data.

The cost for a single full refill of an average 60-liter tractor tank has reached 6,156 TL. Considering that the purchase price for Group 2 bread and durum wheat set by the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) for the 2026 season is 16,500 TL per ton (16.50 TL per kilogram), the monetary equivalent changes. According to calculations, a tank of fuel costing 6,156 TL is equivalent to approximately 373 kilograms of wheat when based on the TMO purchase price.

The latest 4.70 TL increase in the price per liter of diesel has added an extra burden of 282 TL to the producer for a single tractor tank refill. This difference of 282 TL, calculated at the TMO's purchase price of 16.50 TL/kg, corresponds to the monetary value of approximately 17.1 kilograms of wheat. In other words, a farmer filling a 60-liter tank faces an additional fuel expenditure equivalent to the cost of about 17 kilograms of wheat due solely to the latest price increase.

According to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the average national yield-based support for basic support, planned production support, and certified seed usage support for the 2026 production season has been announced as 3,014 TL per ton. With the addition of these supports, the theoretical total value of wheat reaches 19,514 TL per ton. When the cost of a 6,156 TL tank is calculated based on this theoretical value, the required amount drops to approximately 315 kilograms of wheat.

The calculated 373-kilogram wheat data serves as a monetary equivalence table comparing only the market prices of two commodities. This situation does not directly reflect the actual diesel cost at the field level. The area a tractor can cultivate with 60 liters of fuel varies depending on engine power, soil structure, equipment used, working depth, and terrain slope conditions. Therefore, the theoretical equivalence should not be considered an absolute consumption cost.

To determine the real cost for the producer, it is important to answer the question of how many liters of diesel are consumed per decare in wheat production. Instead of tracking diesel price changes solely by liter price, calculating consumption per decare provides more accurate results. Farmers recording fuel consumption in liters for high-energy mechanization operations such as plowing, sowing, and harvesting clarifies production costs.

The diesel price reaching triple digits increases the importance of input management and per-decare planning in agricultural enterprises. While the 60-liter tank equating to 373 kilograms of wheat presents a striking market indicator, the actual economic picture on the ground depends on how many decares the tractor can work with this fuel. Producers need to conduct their cost accounting based on fuel consumption per unit area rather than tank volume.

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