Trade Minister Bolat: If Afghan shepherds leave, agriculture and animal husbandry will not remain.

Some products have seen a significant increase in price from the field to the table, causing reactions. Speaking about the high prices in the market, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat emphasized that there is a shortage of labor in the agricultural sector, not products.

Especially the high price of lemons in recent times is burning a hole in the citizens' pockets. Those who paid 30 liras for lemons last week are surprised to pay 100 liras today. According to the data announced by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, the price of lemons in Istanbul increased by 56.64% in June. Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, speaking to Sabah Newspaper columnist Melih Altınok, stated that the price is exorbitant and will return to normal in August.

"THIS GAP CANNOT BE FILLED WITH FOREIGN WORKERS"

Minister Bolat said, "There are so many products that farmers cannot find enough people to pick them. There is a serious shortage of labor. This gap cannot be filled with foreign workers either. For example, if 25,000 Afghan shepherds leave, there will be no agriculture, no livestock. Lemons rotted on the trees just because they were being sold for 1 to 3 liras. The ones that were picked were taken to the warehouses in Nevşehir and Mersin. Normally, they would buy 4 million tons, but this year only 1 million tons of lemons were brought to the warehouses. The reason why lemons are priced at 100 TL in Nişantaşı and 50 TL in Güngören is this. The new harvest will start in early August. There is little time left for the harvest, so there is a shortage of lemons in the warehouses. They are selling the products they bought cheaply at a higher price. Our inspections have scared them. In raids, tons of lemons that were not registered in the Hal Kayıt Sistemi were seized. The price of lemons will return to normal in August." he said.