Turkish citrus growers and consumers are seeing fruit prices skyrocket from the orchard to the supermarket shelf due to a complex web of factors, including labor costs, transportation and market dynamics. According to Burak Karabucak, the head of a citrus producers' association in the southern province of Adana, the stark difference in prices is unfortunate; tangerines, which sell for 3 to 5 Turkish liras in orchards, can escalate to 20 to 30 liras in markets and grocery stores. He pointed to elevated expenses such as fuel, labor, packaging and transportation as major contributors to the surge.
Faced with a record increase in citrus production this year, Yaşar Özkan, the head of the Chamber of Agriculture in Adana's Seyhan district, noted a 30 percent surplus. This surplus, partly attributed to regional unrest hindering exports to key destinations such as Russia, Iraq and Syria, has added to the challenges farmers face, Özkan said.
Source: hurriyetdailynews.com