10.03.2026 18:02
In Aydın's Germencik district, although the daily wage for plowing fig orchards in mountainous areas with horses is 8,000 TL, there are no workers available. Mehmet Kendirlioğlu, the President of the Efeler Agricultural Chamber, said, "I also hear that wages go up to 7,000 TL, 8,000 TL, and even 9,000 TL. This job could completely disappear within 20 years. There are no workers, and even if there were, a certain level of experience is needed."
Ruhi Doğan (50), who lives in the rural Çarıklar neighborhood of Germencik district, started maintenance work in the fig orchards with the arrival of spring. First, Doğan pruned the dry branches on the trees, and then he began plowing the orchards with the horses he takes care of throughout the year. Doğan stated that they complete a job that normally takes 8 hours in about 3 hours.
Noting that if the fig orchards are not plowed in time, the weeds increase and the quality of the product decreases, Doğan mentioned that they carry out maintenance work with horses due to the mountainous nature of the land. Doğan said, "Our horses are indispensable. We take better care of them than ourselves. If we don't take care of them, they won't serve us. We start working in the fig orchards around the end of February and the beginning of March each year. First, we prune the fig trees. We cut the dry branches on the tree. Then we start plowing. Even though it is Ramadan, we do this work while fasting. Instead of working for 10 hours, we work for 3 hours. If we take care of these trees, their fruits will be good too," he said.
UNTRAINED HORSES ARE TRAINED WITH MASTER HORSES
Doğan stated that young horses are trained by working alongside master horses, saying, "We pair a master horse with an untrained foal and plow together. While the master goes back and forth, it trains the untrained horse. This job is very labor-intensive. These horses we take care of throughout the year help us for one month. Nevertheless, we take care of these horses like our own eyes for the other 11 months of the year. If we don't take care of them, we can't plow our orchards during plowing season. If we can't plow and maintain our orchard within a month, everything will be overgrown with weeds," he said.
MONTHLY INCOME OF THOSE WHO PLOW WITH HORSES IS 240,000 TL
Emphasizing that plowing with horses is a labor-intensive job, Doğan said, "The daily wage for plowing with these horses is between 8,000 TL. With a daily wage of 8,000 TL, the monthly income becomes 240,000 TL. Who in this country has a monthly salary of 240,000 TL? Nevertheless, no workers can be found. There is work in the Aegean Region for 12 months. The daily wage for hoeing is 3,500 TL. If we calculate from 3,000 TL, the monthly income would be 90,000 TL. If citizens are working for minimum wage, why can't we get by with this wage? We are crying," he said.
"THIS JOB MAY COMPLETELY END IN 20 YEARS"
Mehmet Kendirlioğlu, the President of the Efeler Agricultural Chamber, stated that not only there but also in many villages of Aydın, plowing is done with animals in places where tractors cannot work, and said, "There are hardly any people left to do this job. I also hear that daily wages go up to 7,000 TL, 8,000 TL, or 9,000 TL. This job may completely end in 20 years. Workers are not found, and even if they are found, a certain level of experience is needed. You cannot buy experience. It needs to be passed down from father to son, from grandfather. There is no school for this; it takes years of work to learn," he said.
Kendirlioğlu pointed out that the average age of farmers doing this job is currently around 55-60, saying, "In 20 years, they will be 70-75 years old, and there will be no one left to do this job. Young people no longer want to farm," he said.