10.10.2026 18:50
In the Karacasu district of Aydın, olive producers are going through difficult days due to rising costs and low purchase prices. Farmers, noting that olives sold for 15-25 liras per kilogram in the field reach up to 300-350 liras in markets, reacted to the price difference. Some traders halting purchases and delays in payment for the products left producers in an even more difficult situation. Farmers said they might have to cut down the olive trees if conditions do not change.
The fact that olives, which struggle to find buyers at 20 lira in the field, are sold in supermarkets for up to 350 lira has caused a backlash among Aydın producers. Farmers in the Karacasu district said they are struggling to continue production in the face of rising costs.
20 LIRA IN THE FIELD, 350 LIRA IN THE SUPERMARKET
As the olive harvest continues in Ataeymir Neighborhood of Aydın's Karacasu district, producers have been faced with low prices. The fact that olives sold at prices ranging from 15-25 lira per kilogram reach 300-350 lira in supermarkets has drawn a reaction from farmers. The temporary suspension of olive purchases by some traders in the region also made it harder for producers to sell their products. Farmers, stating that fertilizer, diesel, irrigation, pruning and labor costs have risen, said their earnings do not cover their costs.
"WE ARE LITERALLY DEAD"
Olive producer Fehmi Altınöz, noting that product prices have declined compared to previous years, described the hardship they are experiencing as follows: "Bro, we are literally dead, we are abandoned. We are like orphan children. Can the top-grade olive that was 100 lira three years ago drop to 40-50 lira today? We harvest 100-150 kilos of olives, it makes 3,000 lira. Of that, laborers already take 2,000 lira. There's fertilizer, diesel, water. Where's the profit in this?"
"WE WILL HAVE TO CUT DOWN THE OLIVE TREES"
Producer Mehmet Tunçel stated that the production cost per kilogram was announced as 104 lira, yet olives are bought for 18-20 lira. Tunçel said, "This is a disaster for the farmer. If it goes on like this for another year, all of us will have to cut down the olive trees. The average age of producers in the village has already reached 60; the younger generation will not stay under these conditions."
EVEN A 60-YEAR PRODUCER HAS NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS
Mustafa Bozoğlu, 79, said he has been producing olives for 60 years but has never experienced a period in which he struggled this much. Bozoğlu said, "I've been dealing with this work for 60 years, and I've never seen anything like it. A worker's daily wage is 2,100 lira; if you have it picked by hand, they pick 100 kilos a day. When you sell it, it already goes to the daily wage. Not just olives, all agricultural products are finished. If it continues like this, we will uproot the trees."
FROM 40 TONS OF OLIVES, THE MONEY LEFT TO THE FAMILY IS 200,000 LIRA
Producer Ahmet Düzalan stated that the total cost of his 25-decare olive grove reached 700,000 lira. Düzalan, who said he earned 870,000-900,000 lira in income from the sale of 40 tons of product, stated that about 200,000 lira was left to his family. İbrahim Kırtaş, who started producing after teaching for 31 years, also explained that he sold his 275 kilograms of olives for 20-22 lira and that this price did not cover his costs.