Water- and sugar melons, profiting producers with high prices at the start of the season, are left in the fields in the village of Köþk in Milas, famous for its watermelons, when heat damage and end of season fall in prices made them worthless. When even the best quality water-and sugar melons started selling for 5 kuruþ per kilo, most producers did not bother to harvest them as the price wouldn”t cover expenses.
The producers in the village of Köþk on the Milas – Ýzmir highway, famous for its watermelons, declared that for most of them the year was a loss due to weather conditions throughout the season and the imbalance in prices.
While water- and sugar melon prices in the first months of the water-and sugar melon harvest were up to 50 kuruþ per kilo, the producers said that the best quality, undamaged produce couldn”t find buyers for 5 kuruþ per kilo off the field.
PRODUCE LEFT ON THE FIELD
Producers pointed out that the extremely high temperatures experienced in Milas in the last few weeks greatly damaged the water- and sugar melons in the fields.
The producers, emphasizing that the production costs of water- and sugar melons are about TRL 1,000 per thousand square meters, said, “The heat caused yellowing and degradation in the water- and sugar melons in the second half of the harvest. The expected demand in the domestic market did not materialize. Most producers didn”t even harvest the produce, but left it in the fields to rot as the revenue wouldn”t even cover the cost.”
Declaring that large supermarkets increase the difficulties of the small producers by selling cheap produce, the producers added, “In previous years, we used to send 15-20 truckloads of water- and sugar melons, especially to the Blacksea area. But as transportation prices have gone up so much, the tradesmen in that region say, “We would lose even if you gave us the water- and sugar melons in the fields for free.” The producers have to clear their fields, because if the melons are left in the sun they spoil and smell bad, and disturb the environment.
“The foremost factor affecting the farmers is draught. In previous years, tobacco and corn used to be planted in these fields, but they were given up due to lack of water. Corn requires water 7-8 times a day, and it is expensive to grow, and the price usually doesn”t cover the cost, so the farmer had to turn to melons, which require less water and fertilizer. But now, these products also didn”t sell, and was left in the field to rot. The farmer lost again, spent from his own pocket, and piled up debts for next year.”
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