Corn farmers in Diyarbakır are voicing their frustrations over rising costs and low prices, as the impact of Turkey's economic crisis deepens.
Hamza Kaya, a 45-year-old farmer who has been cultivating inherited lands in the Yenişehir district for the past 15 years, expressed his dismay over the dire conditions facing farmers in Turkey. "Farmers nowhere else in the world suffer as much as those in Turkey," Kaya remarked.
"In the past, a farmer's earnings and losses were predictable, but now we have no idea what to expect. Last year was better, but each year leaves us longing for the previous one,” he said. “Despite the ongoing war, Ukrainian and Russian farmers are earning more than Turkish farmers."
Before the economic crisis, they managed to get by with low-interest loans from Ziraat Bank. However, those opportunities have since vanished as interest rates have increased significantly. "We can't repay our debts. Next year, we'll have to sell our tractors and put the money in interest-bearing accounts," he said.
Kaya also criticized the government's agricultural policies, adding, "The economy minister says they will reduce inflation. Are they planning to do this by impoverishing farmers? Diesel is now over 45 liras. Its price goes up daily, but the incentive doesn’t increase. Tomatoes sell for 5 liras in the field and 20 liras in the market. It’s only the middlemen who profit."
He called on the government to reverse its policies and prioritize supporting farmers. "If farmers stay afloat, the country stays afloat. Instead of importing from abroad, they should help their own farmers. Otherwise, many farmers will go bankrupt. Next year, we'll all leave our fields barren."
‘Farmers are being crushed’
Süleyman İskenderoğlu, President of the Diyarbakır Yenişehir Chamber of Agriculture, echoed these concerns, stating that the economic crisis has severely impacted the agricultural sector.
Lamenting the high input costs, İskenderoğlu said, "Farmers are being crushed under these costs and can't even recoup their investments."
He accused the government of using imports as leverage against farmers, adding, "When you add up the costs of diesel, fertilizer, seeds, and pesticides, corn costs farmers around 9 liras per kilo. But the market price for corn is between 7 and 7.5 liras per kilo. It sounds like a joke, but it’s not. The price of corn should be at least 10.5 liras today."
He further criticized the government's minimal support for corn farmers. "The government provides such a meager subsidy—just 30 liras per ton. Where’s the compassion? We can’t sell our products, or we sell them for too little, and consumers either can’t find them or pay too much."
İskenderoğlu warned, "How can farmers continue producing under these conditions? Farmers are deregistering from agricultural chambers and abandoning farming. The government needs to urgently revise its support programs and strategies. Otherwise, producers will stop planting crops like corn, cotton, and wheat next year." (MT/HA/VK)