KEMAL KAÇMAZ: WE WORK ON A COOPERATIVE MODEL AGAINST EXORBITANT LEMON PRICES

The coronavirus epidemic, which affected the world, increased the demand for citrus, which is a vitamin C reservoir. The head of the National Citrus Council, Kemal Kaçmaz, said that the consumption of lemons was higher than they expected, but they had products to send to market.

The coronavirus, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), increased the demand for lemon. Citizens turned to lemons, especially after calls by experts to 'consume vitamin C'. As the demand for lemons increased, an increase in prices was observed. In the Erdemli district of Antalya province, the price of the lemon, whose 1 kg was harvested until 2 TL until recently, increased to 5 TL on the branch and up to 7 TL in the Hall.

Chairman of the National Citrus Council, Kemal Kaçmaz, said that the consumption of lemons was above the expectations. Stating that lemon is a preferred product in every season, Kaçmaz noted, "It ncreases the immune resistance because lemon is rich in vitamin C. We also recommend consuming lemon as well. We have citrus products in our Çukurova region. We are around the end of the season now, but we have the products we will put on the market. Our citizens should not worry."

"We work on a cooperative model against exorbitant prices!"

Evaluating the sale of lemons at exorbitant prices in some regions, Kaçmaz added, "We are experiencing this problem not only in lemons but also in many agricultural products. Prices are rising to exorbitant from time to time because it is a very intermediary. We are working on cooperatives to prevent this. On the other hand, the export sector should not be affected. We made our plans in this direction."

"No need to worry"

Erdemli Chamber of Agriculture President Rasim Şahin also stated that the lemon has come to the end of the harvest and that the kilogram of the lemon sold for 4-5 TL on the branch is sold for 15 TL in the big cities. Şahin continued as follows:

"When the prices of lemons increase, there are restrictions and prohibitions on exports. We do not have any problems in lemons. When the prices increase, the export doors of lemons close, we have a handicap for the producers. We have enough lemons in Erdemli in the cold weather and in the warehouses to supply the domestic market and exports. We have 10 lemon packing factories in our district. These factories are working every day. If the export doors are closed, our producers and traders will be miserable.We do not want the lemon export to be closed."