Mersin Producers React to Price Gap Between Field and Market
· GıdaTarım
Vegetable producers in Mersin have voiced their outrage over the 3-4 fold price difference between their field-gate prices and market shelf prices for produce cultivated under 35-degree heat.
Producers in Yağda Neighborhood of Erdemli district in Mersin, who grow zucchini, cucumber, green pepper, and tomatoes, reacted to the wide gap between field-gate prices and market shelf prices. Farmers, who work in 35-degree heat, stated that despite rising input costs, they are forced to sell their products at low prices, with the difference reaching 3-4 times.
Mustafa Akman, one of the producers in the region, drew attention to the disproportionate price difference between the field and the market and expressed his reaction with the following words:
"Peppers priced between 18 and 38 lira at the field are sold for 138 lira in 'three-letter' supermarkets. There shouldn't be such a difference. We work in 35-degree heat, sell peppers at 38 lira in the field, and they become 138 lira in the markets. This is not justice."