Corn producers from Cokurova demand the floor price to be 0.45 YTL
ALİ BULUŞ
ADANA (DİHA) - Stating that the producers of Cokurova lost money as a result of the wrong policies of the government, the Seyhan Chamber of Agriculture called the government not to make the same mistake they did with the prices of wheat in corn prices. The chairman of the chamber Süleyman Girmen said that there are 1 million 200 thousand square meters of corn fields and demanded the floor price of corn to be 0.45 YTL.
As the ruling government of AKP declared the floor price of wheat as 0.350 YTL, the producers had been damaged economically so they hope to compensate their loses with corn and cotton. Süleyman Girmen said he hoped the governments not make the same mistake again and claimed that the agriculture of the region would be harmed seriously otherwise.
He said that there is a serious chaos in agricultural sector in Turkey and protested the politics claiming the prices are the same with the world market
"Yes, our sale prices are equal to the world market but in Turkey the products are produced with high expenditures. We are selling our products with the prices of 3 years ago but the price of everything, from the oil to the seeds, has increased. Now it is time of corn and cotton harvest. The oil price of the producer processing the soil and that of the yacht in Bodrum is same. With these high expenditures it is impossible for the producers to work." said Girmen.
Pointing out the Soil Products Office (TMO) to balance the prices, he said Turkey imported the half of its corn need which is 5 milion ton in total.
"We are not against importation but the time and volume of importation. It is unacceptable that the government import 900 ton corn in during our harvest season. Secondly, if the country is so much in need of corn then the government should support the local producers to meet the need of corn. That is, this support should not also be given only for corn but the other crops as well. The biggest spending after the gas oil is for the expenditure of the raw oil. If the government supports the raw oil producers the money will not go out." said Girmen.
He said the cost of one kilo corn is 0.400 YTL so the sale price should be 0.450 YTL otherwise the farmers would loose money.
Having nearly 400 square meters field, a villager from Gerdan Nesimi Deniz complained about the high cost of productions in Turkey. "We want the costs to be decreased. We are spending nearly 2 YTL for each liter of oil for our tractors. Nowhere in the world would farmers buy oil in this price. Under these conditions, the floor price should not be under 0.450 YTL. Otherwise we will get the same harm we suffered from the wheat prices." said Deniz.
(gm/ma/mç)
