Sugar beet purchase price should be raised to 4,500 lira

November 5, 2026 · Tarım Pusulası

Ayhan Barut, a member of the General Assembly, stated that beet growers are struggling under increasing costs and demanded that the floor price be set at a minimum of 4,000 lira per ton and that farmer debts be deferred interest-free.

Demand for 4,500 lira for beet purchase price

Ayhan Barut, a member of the Grand National Assembly's (TBMM) Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Affairs Commission, stated in a speech at the TBMM General Assembly that sugar beet producers are not receiving fair compensation for their labor in the face of rising costs. Emphasizing that beets are not just an ordinary agricultural product but a strategic commodity for food security, Barut noted that the announced prices are not satisfactory for producers. Drawing attention to farmers being crushed by inflation, Barut argued that the sugar beet purchase price should be raised to between 4,000 and 4,500 lira per ton.

Input costs and production decline

Pointing to sharp increases in agricultural input items, Barut noted that expenses for diesel, fertilizer, seeds, and electricity, in particular, are pressuring production. Stating that the price of diesel per liter has increased by 800% in the last five years, exceeding 102 lira, Barut conveyed that this dire situation is directly reflected in the fields. According to data shared by Barut, since the privatization of 10 factories in 2018, the number of producers has decreased tenfold compared to the 1980s, and total sugar beet production has fallen by 6.5% year-on-year to 21.5 million tons.

Call for interest-free deferral of farmer debts

Stating that a comprehensive support package is essential for the sector's sustainability, Barut called for urgent measures from the government from the General Assembly podium. Barut advocated for the complete removal of SCT and VAT on diesel fuel and requested that farmers' accumulated public and bank debts be deferred interest-free for two years. TBMM Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Affairs Commission Member Ayhan Barut, who also demanded an increase in subsidized credit limits and an end to agricultural quotas, concluded his assessment with the following words:

'A country's food security depends on the farmer staying in the field.'

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