Manisa dried tomato season begins as producers target 91 export markets
Tomato harvesting and sun-drying have started in Turkey’s Manisa province, with processors preparing shipments to 91 countries. Production costs have reached 150-160 Turkish lira per kilogram, while local planting has fallen from 40,000-50,000 decares in previous years to 15,000 decares.
Harvest and drying operations begin
Tomato harvesting and sun-drying operations have started in Manisa, one of Turkey’s main production centers for dried tomatoes. According to Hürriyet, the harvest began last week, and tomatoes laid across fields in the Gediz Plain are now being prepared for processing and shipment to 91 countries, led by markets in Europe.
The process remains labor-intensive. Workers cut harvested tomatoes individually and arrange them on open-air drying areas. After salt is applied, the tomatoes remain under the sun for approximately one week. They are then moved to processing facilities, where they are sorted, treated and packed for export.
The seasonal operation connects growers, field workers and processors with a broad group of overseas buyers. Russia, Germany, France and the United Kingdom are among the principal markets identified by local producers, alongside other European destinations. Demand is particularly strong during the winter months, when European consumers seek naturally sun-dried tomatoes, according to the local agricultural chamber.
Planting area contracts sharply
The start of processing comes against a substantial reduction in tomato acreage around Saruhanlı. Aydoğan Okur, chairman of the Saruhanlı Chamber of Agriculture, told Hürriyet that the district currently has approximately 15,000 decares under tomato cultivation. In previous years, the planted area reached between 40,000 and 50,000 decares.
Of this year’s total, about 10,000 decares are allocated to tomatoes for paste, while 5,000 decares are used for drying varieties. Okur attributed the contraction in planting to rising input costs and difficult market conditions. The decline reduces the volume base available to processors and could limit how much product exporters can source if overseas demand remains firm.
Dried tomato production also requires a large quantity of raw material. Around 12-13 kilograms of fresh tomatoes are needed to produce approximately 1 kilogram of dried tomatoes. That conversion ratio makes farm-gate tomato prices a major component of processors’ final costs and exposes the sector to changes in fresh tomato supply.
Costs put pressure on producer margins
Fresh tomatoes currently cost about 5 Turkish lira per kilogram at the farm, Okur said. Once tomatoes, salt, labor and drying-area expenses are included, the cost of producing 1 kilogram of dried tomatoes reaches approximately 150-160 Turkish lira. Labor availability and weather conditions during the week-long drying period are also important operational factors, although no separate cost figures were provided.
Okur said dried tomatoes sold for 80-100 Turkish lira per kilogram in previous years. For producers to avoid losses this season, he estimates that prices must reach at least 180-200 Turkish lira per kilogram. The gap between historical selling prices and current production costs illustrates the pressure facing growers and processors before the product reaches export markets.
The sector’s reach across 91 countries gives suppliers a diversified customer base, but export access alone does not guarantee sustainable margins. Producers must recover higher raw-material and labor costs while remaining competitive in price-sensitive markets. Okur said farmers need support to continue operating, as reduced planting and elevated processing costs test Manisa’s ability to maintain its role in Turkey’s dried tomato industry.
