Chickpea Harvest Begins Under Difficult Conditions in Malatya
· Google Haberler
As the harvest season begins for chickpea production supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's TAKE project in Malatya, the entire burden on rugged terrain falls on the shoulders of seasonal agricultural workers.
Chickpea Production Mobilization in Malatya
While Turkey maintains its strategic position in global pulse trade and chickpea production, efforts to increase production capacity in local agricultural basins continue unabated. To promote chickpea cultivation in Malatya's dry farming areas, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, through the Coordination of Effective Use of Agricultural Lands (TAKE) projects, has initiated programs. The harvest season for this product, which holds a significant market share in the culinary and snack markets, has brought dynamism to the agricultural supply chain.
TAKE Project Support Figures
According to Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry data, within the scope of the TAKE project implemented across Malatya in 2026, a total of 139 producers received 75% grant support. Within the project framework, over 69 tons of certified seeds were distributed to farmers, and planned cultivation was carried out on a total of 4,430 decares. Based on data collected from the field, this operation aims to achieve a yield of approximately 500 tons from the region.
Manual Harvest on Rugged Terrain
The geographical conditions in the region do not allow modern agricultural machinery to access every point, making human labor critical in the harvesting process. Seasonal agricultural worker Zeki Göçer, describing the work order on the ground, made the following assessment:
"Professor, machines don't work in these lands; the terrain is rugged, harsh... Our technology is our calloused hands. We uproot and pick chickpeas one by one, by hand. All day long, we bend down to the soil with our bodies to harvest. Only after the chickpeas are collected do we put them through a thresher to separate them from the straw; that's where the machine comes in. The rest is purely physical strength, purely patience."
Difficult Labor Under Scorching Heat
The harvest labor in Malatya's steppe climate begins with the first light of dawn, during the period when summer temperatures reach their peak. Emphasizing that they have to work under harsh climate conditions, seasonal agricultural worker Zeki Göçer described the daily routine on the ground in these words:
"We are in the field before the sun rises, at 05:00 AM. Our shift lasts until darkness falls, until 8:00 PM. The hardest part of the day is noon; the soil practically burns when the sun is overhead. During those hours, we take refuge in the meager shade of the makeshift portable tents we set up at the edge of the field to catch our breath. Even the shade is hot, but we have to stop."
Physical Labor and Risks in the Field
Seasonal workers harvesting chickpeas face not only high temperatures all day but also the threat of pests, scorpions, and snakes in the field. It is observed that working bent over or squatting for hours causes significant wear and tear on the musculoskeletal system. Families who directly contract with landowners without any intermediaries or foremen complete the production cycle by pushing their physical limits due to limited access to adequate nutrition and clean water.
Wage Balance and Earnings Table
The cost balances in the production area are directly reflected in the workers' incomes. According to seasonal agricultural worker Zeki Göçer, an average of 1,500 TL is paid per decare for chickpea harvesting. The daily wage for local workers from surrounding villages between 08:00 AM and 5:00 PM is around 1,750 TL. It is noted that even if a family of three works day and night, their total monthly earnings do not reach 100,000 TL, and the per capita share falls below the minimum wage.
Primitive Living Conditions in Tents
The makeshift tent camps set up at the crossroads of Arapgir, Ağın, Keban, and Arguvan lack electricity and piped water infrastructure. Necessary utility and drinking water are brought from distant locations in canisters carried in car trunks, while evening lighting is provided by batteries or flashlights. Due to the lack of refrigerator facilities, workers who subsist on dry food face economic difficulties in their food expenses due to high prices at local retail points.
Education of Women and Children
Women, who are at the center of the agricultural workforce, shoulder domestic burdens such as cooking, washing dishes, and laundry, in addition to the physical work in the fields. Children, forced to migrate with their families due to the harvest calendar, leave their schools before completing their educational terms. Despite the ILO Convention No. 182, ratified by Turkey with Law No. 4623 in 2001, and the Presidential Circular No. 2024/5 being in the legislation, child labor continues to be prevalent in rural areas.
Migration Map Extends to the Black Sea
Migrant agricultural workers from provinces such as Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, Mardin, and Adıyaman move on to new production basins without rest after completing the apricot, chickpea, and lentil harvests in Malatya. Following the agricultural calendar, after the Malatya leg, they move to the Black Sea Region to begin hazelnut harvesting. This route, shaped by the ripening order of the products, leads to a significant portion of the year being spent on the roads and in tents.
Social Security and Future Demands
While the inadequacy of agricultural insurance and work safety equipment remains among the structural problems in the sector, seasonal agricultural worker Zeki Göçer expressed their demands as follows:
"We want to work and earn a living with the sweat of our brow. We don't want to be a burden to anyone. However, receiving only wages in return for our labor is not enough. It is our right to work in a safe environment, to have our health protected, for our children's education not to be disrupted, and for our basic needs to be met. Our problems need to be discussed not just during harvest time, but throughout the year. Because a seasonal agricultural worker is not just a person working in the field; behind that labor is a family, a life, and people trying to build their future. Our only request is that the labor we provide and the problems we face are seen, heard, and taken into consideration."