Potato production hit by rising input costs
Potato producers in Turkey are struggling with rising input costs driven by high inflation, leading some farmers to warn that the sector is near collapse.
Lütfi Ardıç, a producer from Afyonkarahisar, western Turkey, a major hub for potato production, highlighted the widening gap between expenses and earnings. He noted that one ton of potatoes sells for 5,000 liras, while one ton of fertilizer costs 30,000 liras.
"Farmers are finished," Ardıç told ANKA news agency. "Right now, a liter of diesel is around 65 to 70 liras. To buy one liter of diesel, I need to sell nearly 14 to 15 kilograms of potatoes. A kilogram of this potato is 5 liras. One ton of fertilizer is 30,000 liras. This means we are finished."
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Ardıç, who also grows barley, wheat, alfalfa, and corn, described the situation as grim. He explained that fertilizer, fungicides, and insecticides are essential, but costs have forced farmers to plant seeds kept from the previous year.
"We are trying to cover the loss we made from potatoes with barley. We are trying to cover it with corn," Ardıç said. "We are trying to close the gap somehow, but it is impossible to close."
According to Turkish Statistical Institute (Turkstat) data, potato production in the country rose by 21.1% to 6.9 million tons in 2024, before dropping by 7.2% to 6.4 million tons in 2025. In Apr 2026, monthly inflation was 4.18%, while annual inflation stood at 32.37%. The agricultural input price index also increased by 34.26% annually in March.
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Ardıç said that many producers are forced to work with post-dated checks, which negatively impacts their financial stability. He added that failures to repay bank debts have led to the seizure of farming equipment.
"We plant potatoes but we receive our money in exchange for checks," Ardıç said. "We sell potatoes on credit, but they write you a six or seven-month check. As soon as you get that check, you go and give it to the place where you bought pesticides or fertilizer on credit."
'Many farmers left their villages'
Because debts remain unpaid, he has been trying to sell his tractor, equipment, and land, said Ardıç.
"Right now, in our village, the number of people who planted potatoes in 2025 and 2026 and made a loss is at least 80%," Ardıç said. "Electricity subscriptions were canceled. Wells were closed. We need big tractors because we plant potatoes. While there was an average of two tractors in each household, right now not even one tractor is left in any of them. Banks either took our equipment due to debt or we had to sell them. We have a lot of empty land. We have many people who left the village because they made a loss from potatoes, barley, and wheat."
Price fluctuations
A report by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry notes that potatoes are among the products with the highest producer and consumer price fluctuations in Turkey. Producers base their planting decisions on the potato prices from the previous year, fertilizer prices, and market demand.
"It has been concluded that when fertilizer prices increase, farmers move away from potato production," the report stated.
Turkey ranks fourth globally in food inflation
(VC/VK)