Turkish producers complain about export quota for potatoes

Izmir Agricultural Engineers Chamber’s Chairman Tevfik Turk said: "Producers sell potatoes for 0.60 Turkish Lira (0.09 Euro) per kilo. However the cost is 0.70 Turkish Lira (0.11 Euro). According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) the selling price of potatoes in the market is 2 Turkish Lira (0.30 Euro). Therefore, producers have only been earning from exports. Now that there is an export quota, producers will no longer be able to make a living from potatoes. The reason behind the export quota was to stabilize the prices in the domestic market. However, this decision will not change anything. On the contrary, there will be a drop in the production of potatoes and onions."

"The market prices are almost four times higher than the price in the field. In order to create a balance in the domestic market, this gap needs to shrink. Producers cannot leave potatoes in the field, they need to harvest them. If they cannot export them, well they will make a loss. Therefore, they will no longer produce potatoes and onions. If production decreases, next year we will import these products and the prices in the domestic market will increase again." added Chairman Turk.

Potato producer Ismail Hallioglu said that he considers contract farming and continued: "In this country, there is no agricultural policy at all. Most of the producers don’t know much about how to do things. They plant the product from which they made the most profit the year before. Since potatoes and onions were expensive last year, all the village planted potatoes this year. However, the state introduced export quotas. I now consider contract farming. Even if I won’t be able to make a profit, at least I won’t make a loss."