Turkish farmers seek support after hit by drought

SAKARYA

Farmers in Türkiye are grappling with an exceptionally challenging season, as spring frosts, prolonged drought, and a scorching summer heat wave have caused severe damage to crops, prompting urgent calls for government assistance to support struggling producers.

Recalling that the agricultural frost disaster in April affected producers in 65 provinces, Şemsi Bayraktar, the president of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture (TZOB), said they want aid provided to producers in frost-affected areas to also be provided to those in drought-affected areas.

“The frost caused the greatest agricultural disaster in our history,” Bayraktar said while visiting hazelnut orchards affected by drought in the Karasu district of Sakarya.

“While traveling around Türkiye, however, I noticed another danger, an even greater disaster is coming: Drought,” he added.

“The spring rains never came. June and July were the hottest months in recent years.”

Bayraktar pointed out the decline in product efficiency.

“The [agricultural] ministry has announced an expected hazelnut harvest of 449,000 tons, but I predict the actual harvest will be much lower,” he said, urging the farmers not to rush to sell their produce.

“If our producers supply the market with only the necessary amount of product and slow down production, hazelnut prices will rise,” he said.

“Our costs have already increased significantly due to production and productivity losses, as well as increased input and labor costs. Prices must rise for our producers to cover their costs.”

Bayraktar also urged the government to extend the aid for frost-hit farmers to those affected by the drought.

“We request cash assistance for our producers, as well as the restructuring of their loans to the banks and the Agricultural Credit Cooperative,” he said.

Drought and high temperatures have been a major problem for farmers across the country.

In the northwestern Thracian region, Türkiye’s top sunflower-growing zone, the harvest began about 15 days earlier than usual due to extreme heat.

Sunflowers planted across millions of decares in Edirne, Tekirdağ and Kırklareli provinces dried prematurely this year as prolonged high temperatures and insufficient rainfall disrupted healthy growth.

Farmers harvested the crops earlier than planned, but yields are expected to be significantly lower.

In citrus production, industry reports predict production drops of 30–50 percent in oranges and mandarins, depending on the region, while lemon yields could also face a significant downfall.

Prices, already high ahead of harvest, are expected to stay elevated through winter.

In the southern Çukurova region, a key citrus hub, low rainfall left reservoirs at critically low levels.

At the same time, high temperatures scorched ripening fruit, reducing both yield and quality.