Noting that the cost of imported tomatoes is 3 and a half TL per kilo, the Chamber of Agricultural Engineers criticized the sale of tomatoes for 30 to 35 TL in the markets, and accused the government of ignoring “exorbitant profits”.
In a written statement, President of the Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, Erkut Uluçam, claimed that wholesale markets put bad quality tomatoes on their shelves at high prices, and that there is not enough quality and sufficient tomatoes in the market, and that they put pressure on the Ministry of Agriculture to release tomato imports.
“The main scenario for the bad quality tomatoes they put on the market shelves is to say that there is a shortage of tomatoes and raise the prices, thereby increasing the profit rate on imported tomatoes. This has been the case for years and importer traders are playing this scenario better every day.”
Uluçam emphasized that the price of tomatoes, which is 30 to 35 TL/kg on the market shelves, is between 1 and 1.30 TL/kg in Mersin.
Noting that the cost of tomatoes is 3.5 TL/kg with freight and other costs, Uluçam said, “If the importer trader sells a tomato costing 3.5 TL/kg with 100% profit, it would be 7 TL/kg.
If the marketer sells with the same profit amount, the consumer will be able to buy the tomato for 10.5 TL/kg. It should not be difficult to calculate the exorbitant profits.
“Government officials who claim to run the state are ignoring these exorbitant profits by closing their eyes,” he said.
Arguing that the control of imported tomatoes is under the control of five merchants, Uluçam pointed to the decrease in production as the reason why tomatoes are expensive and emphasized the importance of domestic production.
Noting that the products of many producers producing high quality tomatoes in the country are marketed to hotels or southern Cyprus by traders, Uluçam said, “Unless the producers are sufficiently supported in this country, these lands will unfortunately continue to change hands unless the laws that protect the producers such as the soil conservation law and the market law are enacted.” .