Turkey’s citrus farmers leaving crops unharvested due to high production costs

Turkey’s citrus crop for 2021/22 is expected to be larger than last year’s thanks to improved weather conditions, following last year’s drought and heatwaves, according to USDA data. Nevertheless, profit margins are shrinking as input costs such as fuel and fertiliser increase at a faster rate than farm gate prices. This is prompting some grapefruit, orange and mandarin growers to leave their crops unharvested. With the exception of oranges, over half of Turkey’s citrus production is expected to be exported in the 2021/22 campaign. The picture is not looking so good for the 2022/23 crop, with output likely to shrink due to freezing weather that damaged blossoms in March.