Farmer-Sen Reacts to TMO's Grape Purchase Conditions

September 16, 2026 · TMO

The Farmers' Union reacted to the purchase prices announced by TMO and TARİŞ, and the appointment obstacles stemming from the Farmer Registration System (ÇKS), for grapes whose yield has decreased due to insufficient ripening.

The Farmers' Union (Çiftçi-Sen) released an assessment regarding the problems faced by producers during the 2026 grape harvest season. According to the union's statement, there has been a significant decline in drying yield this season due to insufficient ripening of grapes. In previous years, 5-5.5 kilograms of fresh grapes were sufficient to obtain 1 kilogram of dried grapes. In 2026, it was reported that 7-7.5 kilograms of fresh grapes need to be used for the same amount of dried product. This situation has led producers to use approximately 40% more fresh grapes.

The union's statement highlighted the sharp price declines in the fresh grape market. Sultana fresh grapes, which traded in the TL 16-18/kg range last year, started the 2026 season at TL 11/kg. However, market prices quickly fell to the TL 7-8/kg band. According to Çiftçi-Sen data, there was approximately a 56% decrease in sultana fresh grape prices when comparing last year's floor price with this year's floor price.

Çiftçi-Sen claimed that the dried grape purchase prices announced by public and cooperative unions are well below those of previous periods. According to the statement, the price of seedless dried grapes, which hovered around TL 120/kg and above in the 2024-2025 seasons, has decreased this year. For the 2026 period, TARİŞ announced an advance price of TL 80/kg, and the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) announced a purchase price of TL 90/kg. The union noted that the price set by TARİŞ has fallen by 33.3% compared to the reference price in previous years.

Criticizing the institution's purchase procedures, Çiftçi-Sen argued that TMO is not granting purchase appointments based on product declarations in the Farmer Registration System (ÇKS) records. Union officials claimed that applications from producers whose ÇKS documents only state 'table sultana seedless grapes' and do not include the 'for drying' notation are being rejected. While such a distinction was not questioned for Sultana grape producers in previous years, it is alleged that the new practice is causing significant hardship during the harvest process.

Reminding that farmers sell a portion of their produce as table grapes and the rest as dried grapes, Çiftçi-Sen General President Ali Bülent Erdem and General Organizing Secretary Adnan Çobanoğlu made a joint statement:

The union argued that this bureaucratic obstacle would force producers to sell at low prices determined by merchants and called on TMO to immediately remove this condition from the appointment system.

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