Producer-Market Price Gap Exceeds 7-Fold According to TZOB Report

October 4, 2026 · TZOB

According to the September data from the Union of Chambers of Turkish Farmers (TZOB), the price difference between producers and markets surpassed 633% for lemons, while the annual cost increase for essential inputs like diesel and fertilizer approached 70%.

According to the September 2026 report published by the Union of Chambers of Turkish Farmers (TZOB), the gap between producer and market prices reached up to 7.3 times for some products. Data from the institution revealed the highest price difference at 633.4% for lemons. The retail price of lemons, which cost 7.00 TL per kilogram for the producer, was set at 51.34 TL on market shelves. According to the TZOB statement, the stages agricultural products go through from the field to retail points directly affected price stability.

According to the data released by the institution, after lemons, dried figs showed the largest difference between producer and market prices at 339.1%. Dried figs were sold at 130.00 TL/kg for producers and 570.77 TL/kg in markets. Carrots showed a 337.8% difference, with producer prices at 11.00 TL/kg and market prices at 48.16 TL/kg. Apples saw a 237.9% difference, with prices increasing from 21.66 TL/kg to 73.20 TL/kg, and parsley prices increased by 228.3% from 7.66 TL/piece to 25.14 TL/piece.

The TZOB report emphasized that the price difference between producers and markets does not directly reflect producer profit. Elements such as market fees, transportation, cold storage, packaging, labor, and spoilage losses are added to the costs during the process from harvest to the final consumer. Operating expenses in the retail chain also widen this gap, and the calculated rates represent only the gross difference between producer and retail selling prices.

According to TZOB data, market prices increased for 25 out of 36 examined products, while prices decreased for 11 products. Eggplant saw the highest price increase in markets at 26.0%. This was followed by red lentils at 21.1%, pointed peppers at 18.5%, green lentils and pistachios at 16.4%. The product that became cheapest in markets was lemons, with a 39.5% decrease. This was followed by green onions with a 33.4% drop, dry onions at 21.0%, apples at 18.3%, and corn oil at 14.3%.

In September, the product with the largest price increase for producers was dry beans at 62.5%. According to TZOB data, the producer price of dry beans rose from 39.86 TL/kg to 64.79 TL/kg. Eggplant recorded an increase of 23.3%, apples 15.5%, zucchini 13.1%, and green lentils 12.1%. In contrast, dried figs at the producer level fell by 48.0% from 250.00 TL/kg to 130.00 TL/kg; lemons also depreciated by 30.0% from 10.00 TL/kg to 7.00 TL/kg.

The TZOB report also included increases in chemical fertilizer prices, which are among the essential input items for producers. DAP fertilizer increased by 9.9% on a monthly basis, rising from 44,002 TL/ton to 48,356 TL/ton. UREA fertilizer increased by 6.7%, from 27,330 TL/ton to 29,158 TL/ton. The ton price of ammonium nitrate fertilizer rose from 21,672 TL to 23,040 TL, compound fertilizer 20.20.0 from 29,333 TL to 31,279 TL, and ammonium sulfate from 19,010 TL to 19,282 TL.

According to the report, prices for fuel and feed used in agricultural production also saw an increase in September. The price of diesel per liter rose from 83.83 TL at the end of August to 94.60 TL at the end of September, an increase of 12.8% monthly. The price of milk feed, a key input for the livestock sector, increased by over 4% from 18,341 TL/ton to 19,110 TL/ton, while the price of fattening feed rose from 19,569 TL/ton to 20,434 TL/ton.

According to TZOB data, significant increases have occurred in agricultural inputs over the past year. Compared to the same month last year, diesel prices increased by 70.7%, ammonium nitrate fertilizer by 69.2%, and ammonium sulfate fertilizer by 55.6%. The annual increase for compound fertilizer 20.20.0 was 38.6%, and for DAP fertilizer, it was 35.9%. Fattening and milk feeds used in livestock also showed an annual increase of 31.8%.

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