Opposition leader: Hazelnut farmers abandoned as cooperative collapses

In the Black Sea region of Turkey, hazelnut farmers face a grim reality where the cost of harvesting often exceeds the meager price offered for their crop. Many are leaving their nuts to rot on the trees, a situation opposition leader Özgür Özel described as "disastrous."

Özel, head of the Yeni Parti, visited a hazelnut grove in Trabzon, participating in the harvest himself. He pointed to a local initiative where party members are collecting and selling unsold hazelnuts to fund student scholarships. However, he stressed this project, while well-intentioned, underscores a deeper problem: producers are abandoning their harvest because it's not economically viable.

"Hazelnut producers are left without support," Özel stated, criticizing the alleged mismanagement and bankruptcy of FİSKOBİRLİK, a once-prominent cooperative meant to protect producers. He contrasted the official price of 250 lira with the reality of producers selling at 160 lira to "global monopolies." He vowed that under a Yeni Parti government, such exploitation would not be tolerated, promising to enforce minimum prices for hazelnuts and tea, just as the state enforces minimum wage.

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FİSKOBİRLİK’i batırdılar, koruyamıyor.