There is a harvest in the field, there is no price

The harvest, which started despite all the difficulties on the farmland hit by the earthquake, was stalled by the price barrier, which was postponed due to the elections. Wheat, which has become a critical and strategic commodity around the world after the Russia-Ukraine war, gave the message that “we are at the mercy of the trader” because the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) did not announce the price and the warehouses were damaged as the harvest began in the southern regions. Antakya Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Mehmet Muzaffer Okay stated that the farmer who was waiting for the TMO to announce the purchase price had started the harvest, noting that the trader is trying to buy cheap produce from the farmer due to the uncertainty about the number.

EXPECTATION 10,500 TL

“According to what I heard, some traders are trying to buy in the field for 4.5 TL. In 2022, we sold this wheat at 7,000 TL per ton with a premium of 6,500 plus 1,000 TL. The price of everything has doubled, but who can afford it. Using the expressions “What happens to us is happening to us”, Okay said that another problem is storage. Noting that warehouses, especially in Hatay, were damaged in the quake, Okay said, “There is wheat in the field, we are harvesting, we don’t know what to do. It is too late to announce the post-election price,” he said.

Explaining that the yield in the field is good this year and that they expect a harvest of around 650 kilograms per decar, Muzaffer Okay said that his price expectation is 10,500 TL per ton. Explaining that his costs have risen by more than 50 percent and that the farmer is planting at high costs, Okay pointed out that the harvest, which is expected to come with the agreement of the grain broker, creates demand and price complaints for farmers. farmers in the domestic market. .

TMO should intervene for the price and the warehouse

Arafa Soydan, who is responsible for the Konya Kadınhanı region, which is an important wheat-producing area, said the producer was nervous about the price. Stating that the harvest has not yet started in his region, but the farmer is waiting for the price to see the future, Soydan said: “This year, the expectation of the citizens is 9-10 thousand TL per ton of wheat and 7 – 8 thousand TL for barley. Pricing should be announced by the end of this month. Warehouses in the disaster area were damaged. The merchant cannot store the products, but he can buy them and send them to other regions. But TMO can stock up. This is where TMO should step in. This year, the rainfall in our region is very good, but there are floods and hail disasters in some places. You can buy 500-600 kilos per decar”, he said.

‘We’ll explain it to you when the time comes’

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Vahit Kirişci, who said that a yield of 21 million tons is expected with a 5 percent increase for wheat this year, also touched on the price issue, saying, “We announced our price for 2022 on June 5. . We look forward to announcing the time required and the price required, when necessary, taking into account the market and seasonal conditions this year,” he said.