17.08.2026 12:00
As the hazelnut harvest has begun in Ordu, while producers continue their intense work at the threshing floor, the hullers, who separate the hazelnuts from their shells, have also opened their season. The hulling fee, which was 4,500 TL per hour last year, has been set at 6,000 TL this season.
Hazelnut harvest, one of the most important sources of income in the Black Sea Region, officially began to be collected on August 10 in the coastal areas. The workload of the hazelnut threshing machines, which producers use to separate the hazelnuts, which are produced most in Türkiye and whose harvest continues, from their shells after bringing them to the threshing ground and drying them, has intensified.
THEY WORK 50 DAYS UNDER TOUGH CONDITIONS, HOURLY WAGE IS 6 THOUSAND TL
Working under difficult conditions day and night, spending an average of 50 days each year, about 20 hours a day depending on the workload, and dealing with different jobs on other days, the threshing machine operators continue their work intensively. Threshing machine operators, who work in dusty conditions due to sunny weather and the nature of their job, have set their hourly wage at 6 thousand TL this year, up from 4 thousand 500 TL last year.
"THIS YEAR HAZELNUTS ARE NICE"
Threshing machine owner Ahmet Yasin Sönmez said, "Our 2026 hazelnut season has started, our work is very intense. The threshing grounds are fine, thank God hazelnuts are abundant this year. We work 7 days, 24 hours to provide service under tough conditions. This year, the threshing machine hour is 6 thousand lira in the Ordu region. We would have been happier if fuel prices were a bit lower, but I am thankful for this as well. We are at the machine day and night without going home. This job has been passed down in our family from our grandfather. When the coastal season ends, we go to higher altitudes, and we try to provide service for a total of 45-55 days," he said.
"THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS GIVEN"
Ümit Demirel, who stated that they started the threshing process for his brother's hazelnuts, whose harvest was completed, said, "Thank God for what He has given. The harvest is going well; may God grant us to enjoy it with pleasure."