28.12.2025 20:21
While the mandarin harvest continues in Hatay, the price per kilogram in the fields has dropped to 2 TL. Farmer Mehmet Bal stated that the products are sold for 35 TL in supermarkets, emphasizing that farmers are suffering losses.
While the harvest of mandarins, which have high yields in Hatay, continues, the field price of the product has dropped to 2 TL per kilogram. Mehmet Bal, a farmer in the Defne district, stated that the product is sold to people at prices reaching 35 TL in markets, which is several times higher.
In Hatay, one of Turkey's most fertile lands, the mandarin harvest is experiencing abundance. The mandarins collected during the early hours of the morning in cold weather are being sent all over Turkey.
FIELD PRICE DROPPED TO 2 TL
Mehmet Bal, who farms in the Karşıyaka neighborhood of the Defne district, is harvesting mandarins with 20 workers. With the abundance of mandarins, the field price of the product has dropped to 2 TL. Farmer Bal expressed that the market price of mandarins has reached 35 TL, stating that markets sell the products to citizens at prices several times higher than the field price.
"SOLD FOR 30-35 TL IN MARKETS"
Farmer Mehmet Bal stated that with the abundance of mandarins, the kilogram price has dropped to 2 TL, saying, "We have a 6-decare mandarin orchard here, and we have been harvesting for 2 days. Thank God the harvest is going well, but the costs have become very low. Prices have generally been very low for 3 years, and because of this, mandarins are left on the trees, and we are selling mandarins at a loss. Labor costs have been higher than the price of mandarins. While mandarins are sold between 1 TL and 2 TL from the orchards, they are sold to people in markets for between 35 TL.
Last year there were no mandarins, and the year before that the price was low. This year, we are also at a loss due to the price of mandarins. Some of our trees dried up due to the frost that was effective in winter, and we could not harvest from them. Drought has also been quite effective, and we struggled to irrigate the trees. Since it hasn't rained, the water we draw from wells has decreased. The mandarins we harvested will go to Adıyaman. I expect a yield of 10 tons from the orchard we harvested. If a cooperative is established here in the coming years, it will be better for us as farmers. While we sell cheaply from here, they sell to people at several times higher prices in the markets," he said.
"WHILE WOMEN'S DAILY WAGE IS 1,000 TL, MEN'S VARIES BETWEEN 1,200 AND 1,400 TL"
Worker Pınar Bekmez, who is harvesting mandarins in the orchard, stated that the workers receive an average daily wage between 1,000 TL and 1,400 TL, saying, "We are harvesting mandarins. After loading the mandarins onto the truck, they go to the vegetable market or outside the city. We come early at 7 in the morning and leave at 4 in the evening. It is difficult because it is very cold in the early morning hours. For this reason, sometimes they light a fire to warm up. While the daily wage for women is 1,000 TL, it varies between 1,200 and 1,400 TL for men. We are harvesting with 20 workers here," she expressed.