In the Alanya district of Antalya, avocados are the livelihood of farmers, and this year, they have pleased producers in terms of prices.
Following the end of the harvest of fuerte avocados in Alanya, the harvest of has avocados has begun. Avocados, which are the livelihood of many families in Alanya, have brought smiles to farmers’ faces this year, although producers are worried about the increase in input costs. This year, fuerte avocados were sold for the highest price of 55 lira each. Farmers are calling for measures to be taken against thieves due to the expensive nature of avocados.Fevzi Elçi, who produces avocados on a 20-acre land in Alanya’s Elikesik Neighborhood, stated, “Our season wasn’t too bad this year. But prices are inconsistent. This inconsistency needs to be stabilized within the market like tomatoes or cucumbers. When it falls into someone’s hands, some are buying them for 10 liras, while others get them for 5 liras. I am producing avocados on a 20-acre land. My 5-6-year-old trees are just starting to bear fruit. At the moment, I am happy. Prices are good at the beginning and end, but they drop when the supply increases. We want a market established for farmers.”Elçi mentioned that the highest-priced avocados were sold for 55 lira each, saying, “At the beginning of the season, prices started around 35-40 lira on average. In November and December, they dropped to 25 lira each. They even went down to 15 lira for a 250-gram piece. Currently, those above 250 grams are priced at 50-55 lira, which is good, but there is a shortage in the market now. Yesterday, I collected 1 ton of the ready-to-eat avocados and sold them for 150-180 lira per kilogram. Harvesting fuerte avocados begins around October-November and continues until March. Has avocados start around February 15th and wait until April. Labor is the biggest expense for producers. I want a market established for avocados.”Hilmi Sevilgen, the President of the Alanya Avocado Producers Union, expressed that the avocado season in Alanya went well this year. “The kilogram price was selling for 200-210 lira. We are at the end of the harvest of the fuerte avocados. Along with this, we started harvesting of the pincerton avocados, which is a rare type in our country. We initiated the harvest of has avocados around March. The harvest of has avocados continues until the end of May,” he said.Sevilgen also discussed the situation with imported avocados from Lebanon and emphasized the need for taxes on imported avocados. “Starting from January, especially avocados imported from Lebanon are being talked about, seen, and heard. We don’t know what kind of measures the authorities are taking regarding the taxation of their entry into the country. This has somewhat disrupted the market for our local producers. Avocado production in our country is very challenging. The avocados we produce are superior in terms of size, taste, aroma, and vitamins compared to others, so we particularly request some restrictions to be imposed on this matter until the third month. Avocado production in our country is increasing gradually. There will be no problems due to avocado production. Our exports and production will continue. If imported avocados are released into the market freely, our local producers will face significant difficulties. Our recommendation to the authorities is to apply the tax system that is used for bananas to the avocados imported from abroad,” he stated.