The decreasing price of early lemons was stopped by the ship

Duygu Erdoğan - Lemon producers, who started the new season with high productivity, were left with low demand and unsold lemons. Low consumption and decreasing export routes in response to high efficiency brought sales prices that could not cover the producer's costs. Producers of the early lemon variety Mayer sell it from the garden at a price of 2-3 lira. In the face of this price, which cannot cover their costs, most producers prefer to leave the product on the branch without collecting it. While the same problem is experienced in all citrus species, which are early varieties, producers; It demands freight support to open foreign trade and new and immediate regulations against domestic costs.

Although the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed by Iran due to the war in the region that started after the attacks between Israel and the USA on Iran, is partially opened to ship passage, the decrease in ship passage makes it difficult for products subject to foreign trade to go to different countries. Prolonged travel and costs slow down citrus exports.

There is a product but...

Adana Yüreğir Chamber of Agriculture President Mehmet Akın Doğan said that he was very impressed by the lack of ship passage, especially for early varieties. Doğan said, "Ship traffic was completely closed for a while, and during this period there were early citrus varieties. Now it has opened a little, but it is very limited compared to before. Consumption inside is low. Mayer lemon remained on the branch, it is not worth 2-3 liras. Oranges are 3-5 liras. Enderdonat lemons are 5-8 liras. This year, there is no loss due to the climate, but we cannot get the reward of a good product."

15 days + 50 percent cost

Hayrettin Ucak, Chairman of the Turkish Fruit and Vegetable Products Exporters' Association Sector Board, explained that the problems in ship traffic continue despite a slight decrease, and that using trucks instead of ships is a great loss in terms of time and cost. "TIR transportation means a 50 percent increase in costs. In addition, the duration is 10-15 days longer depending on the ship," said Ucak.

For 1 kilo of lemon...

In the domestic market, there are high costs for every product that will go from the main producing regions Mersin and Antalya to metropolises such as Istanbul and Anatolian cities. Purchasing a product from producer cities and shipping it costs a total of 21 lira. Accordingly, the current tariff for lemon is as follows: Product price: 3 TL, collection cost: 5 TL; shipping to warehouse area: 1TL; washing/treatments: 3 TL; packaging/finishing operations: 3 TL, labor/waste/tax: 3 TL; Shipping to destination city: 3 TL.

'Even if it was purchased for free, it would still be 35 TL'

Mersin Commodity Exchange Assembly Chairman Münir Şen stated that the intermediate costs incurred by the products on their way to the destination routes have increased and said, "Whether you buy a product from Mersin or Antalya for free or for 100 liras, an intermediate cost of 20-21 liras is added to it. The transaction is many, the journey is long. This 21 lira cost becomes at least 35 liras with the addition of the expenses of the market. High inflation and "Due to the costs shaped by the prices; even with the sales made at a loss by the manufacturer, that product reaches the end consumer at an expensive price," he said.