Extreme heat, rising costs driving fruit, vegetable prices up

ISTANBUL

Fruit and vegetable prices should normally decline in summer months compared with winter as more produce is made available to consumers.

However, this is not happening this year. According to experts, there are two main factors that are driving prices up: Climate change-related drought, which grips Türkiye and reduces fruit and vegetable output, and rising costs for farmers.

For instance, prices of tomatoes and cucumber are hovering at around 40 Turkish Liras and 50 liras per kilogram, while cheery and grapes are sold for 100 liras per kilogram at supermarkets. The price of the cheapest fruit is no less than 50 liras per kilogram at supermarkets and open markets.

The combination of drought and rising costs of farmers, are to blame for elevated fruit and vegetable prices, according to experts.

“The impact of extreme heat on production this year is much bigger than we experienced last year,” said Remzi Suiçmez, the president of the Agriculture Engineers’ Chambers (ZMO).

On top of that there are also adverse effects from higher diesel fuel prices and higher transport costs, he added.

It is difficult to estimate how much damage the extreme heat has caused to which crop, Suiçmez said, adding that it is however assessed that there may be a 30 percent decline in cereal output in the Central Anatolian region.

He also stressed the waste which occurs during the transport of produce from farmlands to cities. “Higher prices at supermarkets could also be related to this waste,” Suiçmez said.

Extreme heat has impacted watermelon, melon and tomatoes production in the southern province of Adana, while hitting vineyards in the western province of Manisa, according to Şemsi Bayraktar, the head of the Agriculturalists Association of Türkiye (TZOB).

Due to drought, farmers had to opt for more irrigation at a time when the cost of watering farmlands is rising, Bayraktar said.

Data from the association show that the price of materials farmers use has also been on the rise.

The price of fertilizers and diesel fuel rose by 3.8 percent and 5.1 percent in June from the previous month. Electricity prices and some pesticide prices soared 19.8 percent and 50 percent year-on-year. The annual increase in the price of diesel fuel was 78.5 percent.

Shopping at a local open market once a week would cost her around 500 liras to 600 liras last summer, but now she is paying at least 800 liras for fruits and vegetables she buys, said Ayten Gürel, a 52-year-old housewife.

Prices of fresh fruit and vegetables increased by 6 percent in June from a month ago, which brought the annual increase to 78.6 percent, according to data from the Central Bank.

Last month consumer prices advanced 1.64 percent while the annual inflation slowed to 71.6 percent.