Harvest started with pain in Mustafakemalpasa and Karacabey districts of Bursa, which meet most of Turkey’s tomato paste needs. Costs have doubled, but tomatoes are being picked up in the field at the same price this year.
The announced purchase prices did not please the producers, who started to collect tomatoes for tomato paste this year.
The purchase of tomato paste for 50 kurus, which was the price of last year, brought the producers to the point of revolt.
Producers, whose diesel, fertilizer, labor and equipment expenses increased by nearly 100%, were expecting a hike in tomato prices, and reacted to the fact that their crops were purchased at the same price this year.
While the urea fertilizer that the farmer has to throw in their field to get the product was ₺150 last year, it is sold for ₺250 this year.
18:46 fertilizer, which was ₺200 last year, increased to ₺350 this year. Despite the increase in fertilizer and other expenses, the fact that product prices do not increase saddens the farmers.
1 kilo of tomato paste is obtained from 4 kilos of tomatoes bought from the field for 50 kurus. This tomato paste is sold in the markets for ₺12.
In the same way, tomato paste, which is bought for 50 kurus, is sold in the market for ₺3. Tomatoes, which are cheap in the field, burn pockets as they change hands on the way to the table of the citizens.
“PRICES ARE BELOW THE COST”
Ersin Demir from Yavelli village of Mustafakemalpasa district, who stated that the tomato harvest started painfully this year, said, “The harvest has started this year, but the prices are not heartwarming. These prices are far below the cost. Currently, the tomato paste we send to the factory costs 50 kurus.”
Saying that there has been a 100% increase in the prices of pesticides and fertilizers, Demir said, “Despite increasing costs every year, producers reduce plantings because product prices do not increase. An average of 3.5 kilograms of tomatoes produces 1 kilogram of tomato paste. But the cheapest 850 grams of tomato paste on the market shelves is sold for ₺12-13.”
“SOLD AT EXTRA PRICE IN THE MARKET”
Stating that tomato prices are cheap only in the field, Ersin Demir said, “Tomatoes bought from us for nothing are sold at exorbitant prices in the market and in the markets as tomato paste and tomato. We do not understand this.”
Other producers, who said that this year’s tomato prices did not save costs, said, “This year, the prices are very cheap. The costs have increased significantly. Despite the increasing costs, we were devastated to buy tomatoes from the field for 50 kurus. If this continues, no one will plant tomatoes next year.”
Source: NTV / Translated by Irem Yildiz