11.11.2026 13:01
In the villages of Koruk and Sedeftepe in Elazığ, producers who cannot sell their products have begun uprooting their vineyards. While Soner Arpa from Koruk village is uprooting and burning the vineyards he has worked on for years, approximately 400 tons of grapes in a 140-decare vineyard in Sedeftepe are waiting for buyers. Producers, who say they cannot sell grapes whose cost per kilogram reaches 21 lira even for 10 lira, state that there are no buyers left after the wine factory closed and are asking for support.
News: Serra TAYLAN
(ELAZIĞ) - In the villages of Koruk and Sedeftepe, known for Elazığ's grape production, producers stated that they could not sell their products. While producer Soner Arpa uprooted and burned the vineyards he had labored on for years, approximately 400 tons of grapes in a 140-decare vineyard in Sedeftepe village are waiting for buyers. Producers, who stated that they cannot sell the grapes, whose cost per kilogram reaches 21 lira, even for 10 lira, are asking for support.
Grape producers from Elazığ voiced that they are aggrieved because they cannot sell their products. Producers, stating that their products remained in their hands due to the closure of the wine factory in the region and the insufficiency of businesses purchasing grapes, expressed that they have reached the point of abandoning viticulture.
HE SET HIS LABOR ON FIRE WITH HIS OWN HANDS
Soner Arpa from Koruk village, stating that he had to uproot his vineyards, spoke as follows:
“I have been doing this job for years, but now this job has gone beyond the point of being done. We will uproot our vineyards; we have no other escape. We uprooted my labor with our own hands and now we are burning them. This fire we light will burn all of us. Now a harsh reproach must be made. Enough, we are tired. We no longer grieve over the labor of years, the sweat shed, what we lost, our labor, his wish. There is no point left at which this job can be done.”
400 TONS OF GRAPES WAIT FOR BUYERS IN A 140-DECARE VINEYARD
A farmer producing in Sedeftepe village stated that approximately 400 tons of grapes in his 140-decare vineyard could not be sold. The producer, expressing that grapes suitable for table and fruit juice production cannot find buyers, said that the cost per kilogram has reached 21 lira, yet they cannot sell the product even for 10 lira.
Stating that medicine, electricity, irrigation and labor expenses force the producer, the farmer said, “We are forced to throw the grapes into the vineyard. The farmer is currently heavily in debt; we cannot pay our normal loans. We are waiting for support right now.”
NO BUYERS REMAINED WHEN THE WINE FACTORY CLOSED
The producer, noting that purchasing opportunities decreased after the closure of the wine factory, claimed that approximately 10 thousand tons of grapes are waiting for buyers and that a thousand people are affected by the situation.
Producers called on authorities, especially Elazığ members of parliament, to purchase grapes and ease the debt burden of farmers.
Producer Gürkan Bektaş also stated that uprooting the vineyards is not only an economic loss, but also threatens the region's culture and production tradition.