Hazelnut harvest begins, but price is nowhere to be found: Our source of life has dried up

İlayda SORKU

The hazelnut harvest, which directly impacts eight million people, is just days away. However, the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) has still not determined the in-shell hazelnut purchasing price for the 2025/2026 period. The delay in the price announcement, which was expected to be announced in July, has created uncertainty for producers ahead of the harvest , which begins on August 4th. After last year's base purchasing price, initially expected to be 160 TL, was announced in the 130 TL range, farmers are not optimistic about this year either.

Producers speaking to BirGün stated that hazelnut yields have decreased this year due to frost and damage from skunk beetles, while costs have increased significantly compared to last year. Many producers said costs exceed 200 lira. The demand is clear: at least 280 lira.

"The same trick is played every year," said hazelnut producer Resul Şahin, adding, "They keep the yield high to get the producers' produce cheaply. This year, frost hit the higher elevations. I'm a victim of frost myself, and the hazelnuts were completely wiped out. However, there's still some yield left of certain varieties we call 'çakıldak' hazelnuts. Our estimate is that we'll have a maximum of 250,000 tons of hazelnuts this year, but it probably won't even reach that. 400,000 tons is a completely inflated figure. They're doing this deliberately to cover the hazelnut price. Even if there are 250,000-300,000 tons of hazelnuts this year, there will be significant losses due to the skunk."

WE LOOK INTO YOUR EYES

Şahin, noting that hazelnuts generate $152 billion in revenue globally, said, “Only $2.5 billion comes into Türkiye. This is a strategic product. It's vital for the local people. People here cherish hazelnuts. Our ancestors educated us and raised us on hazelnuts. Hazelnuts mean life. But the Ministry has no policy regarding such a strategic product. Producers are victimized every year, and the path to salvation lies in organization.”

Cemil Ceylan, who stated that the cost is around 190 lira, said: “Our request is 280 lira, but frankly, I don't expect much from this government. They announced a high yield and then gradually lowered it. However, in the past, the Ministry of Agriculture was solely responsible for declaring yields. Now, the companies that control the global hazelnut and fruit trade are announcing whatever yield they want, in whatever country they want. They don't ask anyone. The announced yield is very high; it's a figure intended to undervalue the product. There aren't any hazelnuts like this in this country. I don't know if they'll bring them from somewhere else. If they can find them, let them.”

Ceylan, who stated that he educates two children, said, “Personally, I couldn't make ends meet with hazelnuts. I couldn't afford to educate my two children on 4-5 tons of hazelnuts. I worked other jobs to pay for their education. Hazelnuts used to provide for producers. In the Black Sea region, producers would build houses, buy land, hold weddings, and hold funerals with hazelnuts. But today, producers can't make ends meet. Privatization decisions are at the root of what's happening today.”

Producers live on debt

Cemal Çetin, stating that if hazelnuts sell for less than 300 lira, producers won't earn a single penny, said, "We only care about hazelnuts anyway. We have nothing else. Hazelnuts are our sole source of income. We've worked really hard this year. We've put in a lot of effort, we've done everything we could to ensure production. But unfortunately, we're not getting anything in return. There's no way for producers to make ends meet; they've been living on debt for years."

Çetin, stating that producers have been handed over to the market, said, “The state has handed this business over to the private sector. We're not happy with this system. It's being portrayed as a hazelnut harvest, but in reality, there isn't. Now, if you go into the garden and see five hazelnuts, only two are full. You pick them, open them up, and two will come out healthy, while three are moldy, empty, and rotten. Where is this product? Where is the announced yield? I have no words for those who haven't seen this.”

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SAME SCENARIO FOR YEARS

Hazelnut producers have been suffering for years from the announced base purchase prices. For years, these announced prices have fallen short of producers' expectations. This situation forces producers to sell at a loss, while generating profits for intermediaries and exporters. Figures since 2020 clearly demonstrate this cycle.

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COSTS CONTINUOUSLY INCREASED

According to the Farmers' Union (Çiftçi-Sen) hazelnut cost table, the total cost of production on one decare of land is 18,311 TL. This cost includes items related to the cultivation and harvesting processes. Under the cultivation costs heading, labor costs such as pruning, root shoot cutting, and transportation are stated as 2,550 TL; a total of 347 TL for lime application (including materials, labor, and transportation); labor and transportation costs, including the cost of animal manure and compound and nitrogenous fertilizers, are stated as 3,223 TL. The cost of pesticide application, including pesticide cost and labor, reached 1,500 TL. Combined with other items, the total cost of the cultivation process reached 8,610 TL. Harvesting costs, including the use of a mechanical scythe, collecting, transporting, and threshing, are recorded as 8,740 TL. Pre-sale operations such as marketing, transportation, and tool and equipment expenses are also included in this item. In addition, a 9 percent capital interest rate of 786 TL and a 3 percent general administrative expense of 544 TL were reflected. Deducting only 370 TL from the total income from area-based fertilizer and diesel fuel subsidies paid to producers, the net cost was 18,311 TL. Based on this calculation, the production cost of one kilogram of hazelnuts was 183 TL. Çiftçi-Sen (Farmers' Union) announced that this year's yield would decrease by 40–50% due to frost, drought, and skunk bugs, but that price pressure continued in the market. It stated that a 25 percent profit margin and a 25 percent decent living allowance would be added to the cost for producers to maintain their operations. It also stated that the purchase price should be at least 280 TL.

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Potato Barons Protected, Farmers Crushed

Potato producers gathered at a rally in Nevşehir. Potato producers from the Kayseri region of Niğde, Nevşehir, Aksaray, Kırşehir, and Nevşehir gathered for a demonstration in the Derinkuyu district of Nevşehir. They protested the purchasing policies of supermarket chains in a press statement. Ülkü Aslan, President of the Turkish Potato Producers Platform, stated that potato producers are particularly affected by traders' price manipulation. In her speech, Ülkü Aslan criticized the fact that potatoes, which cost 2 TL in the field, are being sold for 20 TL in supermarket chains. "Today, potatoes we sell for 2-3 lira per kilogram in the field are now selling for 20 lira on the supermarket shelf," Aslan said, emphasizing that despite rising input costs, purchasing prices have been driven even below cost. In her speech, Aslan stated that export and customs barriers, uncontrolled and corporatized potato cultivation, rising input costs, and farmers' increasing debt burden are causing deep damage to production.