On 14 November 2025, a Local Policy Dialogue - Harvest and Marketing Process Meeting was held in the Seyhan district of Adana within the scope of the “Precision Farming for a Greener Tomorrow: Advocating for Sustainable Agriculture” project.
The meeting was held in Seyhan with the participation of local producers, the project team, Berrin Ünlü, the representative responsible for advocacy and monitoring activities, the Seyhan Chamber of Agriculture and its staff agricultural engineers.
Producers: “Costs are rising, prices are standing still”
Producers who spoke at the meeting stated that the sharp increases in the cost of production inputs, notably diesel, fertiliser, pesticides and seeds, are not reflected in product sale prices. It was emphasised that this situation directly causes losses for farmers at the marketing stage. Participants said that labour costs in Türkiye, being much higher than in many other countries, seriously weaken competitiveness.
Products go unsold and are left on the branch
It was stated that, due to structural problems in the marketing chain, products cannot reach enough buyers, and as a result many producers have been forced to leave their produce on the branch. Producers said that agricultural policies adopted in the past but not implemented in the field have deepened today's marketing crisis, and called for the decisions taken to be put into practice.
Young people are moving away from farming
Drawing attention to the steadily rising average age of farmers, participants stated that young people do not see agriculture as a sustainable livelihood. It was emphasised that continuing production is not possible without marketing and sales guarantees, and that this situation is driving young people away from farming.
Planning and water management came to the fore
Participants drew attention to the inadequacy of regional crop planning, stating that the ineffective implementation of quotas and crop-based incentives leads to oversupply and falling prices. It was stated that water restrictions, even in a region such as Adana that is advantaged in terms of water resources, are a serious problem, and it was emphasised that crops that consume less water should be encouraged.
Criticism of imports and the wholesale market law
It was stated that importing products such as cotton and maize more cheaply from abroad is making domestic production unsustainable. It was noted that, because of the wholesale market law, the price gap between producer and consumer rises to as much as 8–10 times, and producers do not receive a fair return for their labour. It was stated that registered producers should be allowed to sell without going through the wholesale market.
“Problems must be solved first”
At the end of the meeting, it was emphasised that the problems experienced in the marketing process directly threaten the future of agricultural production. Participants stated that existing structural problems must be solved before new projects are developed; otherwise, farmers face the risk of withdrawing from production altogether.
