19.08.2025 04:22
In Aydın, where desert temperatures are prevalent and thermometers show 45 degrees, tomato workers are struggling to make a living with hourly wages ranging from 150 to 250 TL. Despite being able to work only 6 hours a day, the tomato workers expressed that they still experience the joy of earning a living.
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In Turkey's most important tomato production center, in the Çiftlik neighborhood of the Köşk district of Aydın, tons of tomatoes are collected every day. Workers start their shifts at 6:00 AM and gather the tomatoes, produced with great effort, until noon, despite the scorching sun. Women working in tomato harvesting are paid 1,000 TL per day, while men who carry tomato crates earn 1,500 TL per day.
"ONE OF THE HARDEST JOBS IN THE WORLD"
Workers, noting that working in the Aydın Plain during the summer is quite challenging, said, "Doing agricultural work in Aydın during the summer is one of the hardest jobs in the world. No matter how much technology and industry develop, agriculture cannot be done without human hands. We have a tough job, but we are happy because we earn our bread with the sweat of our brow," they stated.
"WE ARE PRESENT AT EVERY STAGE"
Hülya Aydın, one of the workers harvesting in the field, said, "We come to the field at 6:00 AM and start working. We stop during the noon hours because it is very hot. As the sun rises, working becomes even more difficult, and even breathing becomes hard. But we earn our bread from here; we have to. We have no retirement, we must work for daily wages. We are present at every stage, from planting to hoeing and harvesting tomatoes," she said.
"WE CARRY 25-KILOGRAM CRATES ON OUR SHOULDERS"
Oğulcan Alyanak, who works in the field, said, "We carry the tomatoes collected by women on our backs to the tractor. Each time we lift loads of 20-25 kilograms. With the sun above us and tomato crates on our backs, we go back and forth. Carrying loads puts a lot of strain on our backs and knees. But we are here again the next morning before sunrise. Despite the heat, fatigue, and dust, we sweat in the field to earn our bread," he stated.
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