Osmaneli Watermelon Harvest Faces Sharp Price Drop

The geographically‑protected Osmaneli watermelon, cultivated in Bilecik’s Osmaneli district, continues its harvest with production of about 44,520 tonnes across roughly 6,360 decares. Seasonal workers from Turkey’s South‑East Anatolia region gather the fruit on farms such as those in Medetli, Borcak and Selçik villages.

Traders load the watermelons onto trucks and ship them to major cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Eskişehir, İzmir and Düzce. Prices have fallen dramatically this season: after starting at 15 Turkish lira per unit, they have slipped to around 4 lira, a steep decline from last year’s 8 lira start. Farmers like Recep Apak and Mustafa Ercan note that lower prices have left some produce unsold or diverted to juice processing.