Grape Prices Collapse in Sarıgöl, Harvest Left on Trailers

October 29, 2026 · GıdaTarım

Tons of grapes are waiting on trailers in Manisa's Sarıgöl district due to the absence of transport trucks and buyers, with free market prices plummeting to as low as 4 lira, pushing producers to the brink of bankruptcy.

Vineyards and Trailers Full in Sarıgöl

A major market crisis has erupted in the Sarıgöl district of Manisa, particularly in the Dindarlı neighborhood and the Dadağlı and Alamşan regions, following the grape harvest. Farmers who cannot find buyers are forced to leave their harvested crops waiting in vineyards and on tractor trailers. Rasim Varol, a producer who filled three trailers with his produce but is waiting for transport trucks, described their desperation with the following words:

Wine trucks aren't coming, there are no buyers. We're just waiting like this. It's a shame for these trailers. But there's nothing we can do.

While tons of harvested produce face the risk of spoilage due to a lack of buyers, vineyard owners complain that merchants are not making any offers. Another grape producer, who wished to remain anonymous, pointed to the prevailing uncertainty and said:

No one is paying, they aren't buying. What will happen this year? Honestly, we don't know either.

Grape Prices Plummet Amidst Cost Crisis

Crushed by rising costs of diesel, fertilizer, agricultural pesticides, irrigation, and labor, producers have reached the verge of bankruptcy as prices for wine and discarded grapes have fallen to the 4 to 10 lira range. One vineyard owner, stating that approximately 120 tons of grapes were waiting unsold at a single farm, emphasized their inability to cover debts, while another unnamed grape producer made the following assessment:

There's no 5 lira on the vine, no one is buying for 10 lira. Even if you say 'take it for free,' no one is taking it. Honestly, let's hope for the best, we don't know what will happen. There's nothing to be done.

An unnamed female farmer, reporting that wine grapes that sold for 20 lira last year have dropped to 4-5 lira this year, expressed her income loss with these words:

I'll sell 5 kilos of grapes to buy one loaf of bread. I'm not alone at home to get by with just one loaf. What is our fault, what sin have we committed?

Call for Support Price and Debt Deferral

Sarıgöl Mayor Tahsin Akdeniz, who inspected the production areas, listened to the problems of producers in the rural neighborhoods firsthand and announced solutions to the public. Emphasizing the need for urgent intervention to prevent farmers from abandoning production, Akdeniz demanded the establishment of a minimum support price of at least 15 lira for wine grapes and 25 to 30 lira for table grapes. Stating that farmers cannot pay their debts to banks and agricultural credit institutions due to main input costs such as diesel and fertilizer, Akdeniz called for the interest-free deferral of producer debts. Akdeniz warned that if purchases cease, vineyards will be abandoned, and the region's agriculture will suffer irreparable damage.

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