Farmers in Thrace turn to nighttime wheat harvests amid extreme heat

KIRKLARELİ

In response to scorching daytime temperatures and increasing fire risks, wheat farmers in Türkiye’s Thrace region have shifted their harvest operations to the cooler hours of the night.

In key agricultural provinces such as Edirne, Kırklareli and Tekirdağ — considered one of the country’s major grain belts — combine harvester operators have adapted their schedules to start work around sunset and continue throughout the night.

The harvest, which began roughly 25 days ago, is ongoing. Once collected, the wheat is loaded onto tractors and either sold to the Turkish Grain Board (TMO), stored in silos, or delivered to private traders, depending on the farmer’s preference.

Combine operator Bilal Türkkan stated that the daytime heat has made harvesting increasingly dangerous. “Daytime temperatures reached up to 40 degrees Celsius this year. It’s just too risky to harvest under those conditions,” he said. “We prefer night work — it’s cooler, the machinery operates more efficiently and the risk of fire is significantly reduced.

Türkkan added that while nighttime harvesting presents its own challenges, the safety benefits outweigh the difficulties. “We did harvest during the day at times, but only with extreme caution. We always had water tankers nearby to minimize fire hazards. Thankfully, we’ve had no major incidents this season.”

According to Türkkan, the majority of this year’s harvest is now complete, and farmers are hopeful the remainder can be finalized without further disruptions.