Sencer Solakoğlu Promises Profit Guarantee to Olive Producers

November 1, 2026 · Tarım Pusulası

Meeting with olive producers in Edremit, Balıkesir, Agricultural Policies Board Chairman Sencer Solakoğlu highlighted planning deficiencies and import pressures, unveiling the 'Guaranteed Step Model' to protect farmers' profits.

Price Pressure and Marketing Issues

Sencer Solakoğlu, Chairman of the Agricultural Policies Board, met with olive producers in Zeytinli Neighborhood of Edremit district in Balıkesir, drawing attention to structural deficiencies in the sector. Solakoğlu argued that price pressure is being exerted by the Ministry of Trade under the guise of fighting inflation, artificially suppressing oil prices. He stated that producers are being crushed in the market by buyers in terms of both price and yield determination. Highlighting that buyers manipulate quality criteria based on product volume, similar to tomatoes, corn, and milk, Agricultural Policies Board Chairman Sencer Solakoğlu said:

'The producer shrinks as they produce'

Import Policies and Producer Incomes

Criticizing the Medium-Term Program targets, Agricultural Policies Board Chairman Sencer Solakoğlu expressed that he does not find the government's continuous reliance on external purchases to lower food prices to be correct. Solakoğlu emphasized that import-oriented approaches are pushing domestic producers out of the field and that the wrong mindset of the past must be abandoned. Reminding that he himself is involved in both crop production and animal husbandry, Solakoğlu conveyed to the participants that while input costs are rising, the income received by farmers is decreasing in real terms, and production sustainability can only be achieved through decisive agricultural policies that protect domestic producers.

Social Security Support for Women Farmers

Stating that women farmers, who bear the main burden of agricultural production in the field, are currently left without social security, Agricultural Policies Board Chairman Sencer Solakoğlu announced that they are planning a comprehensive reform. Noting that women's labor is decisive at every stage, from cabbage harvesting to milk milking, from Karacabey to the Aegean basin, Solakoğlu promised that the insurance premiums of women producers would be covered by public funds or private financing models. It was reported that the main goal of the prepared project is to guarantee that women who work hard in rural areas can lead independent and economically secure lives in their retirement periods.

Guaranteed Step Model and Adulteration

Stating that the current support system cannot protect producers against risks such as drought, water scarcity, and frost, Agricultural Policies Board Chairman Sencer Solakoğlu expressed his new plans with the following words:

'We will guarantee the farmer's reasonable profit'

Solakoğlu stated that olive oil has strategic importance and branding is essential, adding that one of the sector's biggest problems is lack of oversight. Drawing attention to the fact that a company selling under an Ayvalık origin label in Bursa has been identified for adulteration a total of 132 times yet continues its operations, Solakoğlu emphasized the necessity of deterrent sanctions.

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