Rising labour, fuel and pesticide costs are squeezing pistachio farmers in southeastern Türkiye, a lawmaker from the HÜDA PAR party said during a visit to growers in Gaziantep province, calling for measures to reduce production costs and curb the role of intermediaries.

HÜDA PAR Gaziantep lawmaker Şahzade Demir visited pistachio orchards in the Boyluca neighbourhood of Nizip district during the harvest and spoke with farmers about their costs and earnings.

This year's yield was somewhat better than last year's, Demir said, but farmers were still struggling to make enough money to cover expenses and support their families.

"Costs have risen far too much," Demir said, citing labour costs of 2,500 Turkish lira a day compared with 1,500 lira last year. Diesel, he said, had risen from about 50 lira per litre to 100-102 lira, while pesticide costs had also increased.

Demir said production costs had nearly doubled while pistachio prices had risen by only around 20% to 30%, leaving farmers under financial pressure.

The lawmaker also criticised the role of commission agents, saying farmers often had to sell their crops soon after harvest to repay debts, when prices were relatively low.

"Because the farmer is in debt, he is forced to dispose of it early so he can pay his debts," Demir said.

He said intermediaries could then store the crop and sell it later when prices rose, allowing them to capture a larger share of the value generated by the harvest.

"Farmers work for a full year — spraying, plowing, irrigating, harvesting, drying, sorting and selling — yet they either make a 20-30% profit or none at all," Demir said.

He said the difficulties facing pistachio growers were part of broader problems affecting agriculture and livestock production across Türkiye.

Demir called for government intervention to lower agricultural input costs and for a wholesale-market law, known in Türkiye as the hal law, aimed at addressing what he described as an imbalance between farmers and intermediaries.

"Serious intervention is needed as soon as possible on two points," he said. "First, input costs must be reduced; second, a wholesale market law must be passed urgently."

Pistachios are an important agricultural crop in Gaziantep and neighbouring provinces, with the region among Türkiye's main production areas. Farmers' earnings can vary significantly from year to year depending on yields, weather conditions, input costs and market prices.

Demir's comments come as farmers across Türkiye continue to face pressure from rising agricultural costs and concerns over the prices they receive for their produce. (ILKHA)