Turkish farmers protest sugar beet prices amid harvest season

Agricultural activities in Turkey's Kelkit and Elbistan regions are seeing a mix of official support and producer criticism. Gümüşhane Governor Cevdet Atay participated in the sugar bean and sugar beet harvest in Kelkit, emphasizing the region's economic potential and pledging continued state support for agricultural production. During his visit, Atay also inspected local processing facilities, including a dry bean sorting plant and a feed factory.

In contrast, Yeni Parti Kahramanmaraş Provincial Chairman Ünal Ateş expressed dissatisfaction with the announced 2026 sugar beet purchase price of 3,700 lira per ton. While this represents a 19.4 percent increase from the previous year's price of 3,100 lira, Ateş argued that the hike fails to compensate for the rising costs of fuel, fertilizer, and pesticides. He stated that the current pricing does not reflect the labor of the farmers or the significant increase in production expenses.