Farmer in İzmir's Kınık Cries Out: 'We Are Going Bankrupt by Working, by Producing'

Farmers in İzmir's Kınık district are sounding the alarm, declaring they are "going bankrupt by working and producing." They report that the gap between rising input costs and the prices they receive for their crops is widening annually, pushing them to the brink of abandoning agriculture.

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Unfortunately, no farmer is making a profit from farming. We are going bankrupt by working and producing. Every year, we sow our hopes in the soil with the hope that 'maybe this year it will work out,' thinking we will pay off our debts. But every year we plant, our debts grew larger. We sold our lands, sold our tractors, sold our equipment, and nothing is left. The farmer, the producer, has completely perished by working.

Sefa Köken, who has been farming for 20 years, highlighted the farmers' perpetual debt cycle. "Unfortunately, no farmer is making a profit from farming. We are going bankrupt by working and producing," he stated. "Every year, we sow our hopes in the soil with the hope that 'maybe this year it will work out,' thinking we will pay off our debts. But every year we plant, our debts grew larger. We sold our lands, sold our tractors, sold our equipment, and nothing is left. The farmer, the producer, has completely perished by working."

Köken noted that tomato prices have remained stagnant for approximately three years. "Those who grow tomatoes, cotton, and corn here are definitely not earning anything," he said. "Because they can't earn, people are turning to tomatoes and peppers as a sort of gamble, despite the high costs. But the cost of tomatoes is really high. For three years, we've been selling tomatoes at the same price. We sell processing tomatoes for 4.5 Turkish Lira, on a deferred payment basis. The terms are October-December. We sell dried products for about 6.80 Turkish Lira."

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For three years, we've been selling tomatoes at the same price. We sell processing tomatoes for 4.5 Turkish Lira, on a deferred payment basis. The terms are October-December. We sell dried products for about 6.80 Turkish Lira.

Producers are now resorting to selling their assets to cover debts, as agricultural production has become unsustainable. "This year is truly the last year for farmers. They have nothing left to sell," Köken lamented. "It's confirmed, farmers are finished. Because no one is by our side. Neither the agricultural chambers nor those governing the district... No one is by the farmer's side, and we have perished. A whole district is disappearing before our eyes, a whole country is disappearing, and no measures have been taken."

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This year is truly the last year for farmers. They have nothing left to sell. It's confirmed, farmers are finished. Because no one is by our side. Neither the agricultural chambers nor those governing the district... No one is by the farmer's side, and we have perished. A whole district is disappearing before our eyes, a whole country is disappearing, and no measures have been taken.

Adding to their woes, climate conditions this year have also negatively impacted producers, with yields dropping by roughly half. "The price is already very bad. With the drop in yield, the farmer's back is completely broken, and they are completely gone. People have now become disillusioned with the land," Köken concluded. Ahmet Mısırlıoğlu, a 48-year-old farmer from Kınık, shared that the cost per decare for tomatoes is around 70,000 Turkish Lira, but the yield only brings in 50,000-55,000 Lira, leaving farmers with insurmountable bank debts.

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The cost per decare for tomatoes is around 70,000 Turkish Lira. The yield only brings in 50,000-55,000 Lira. Farmers are living their final days. Bank debts have already reached our throats.