Turkish raisin growers challenge TARİŞ’s 80-lira advance price
TARİŞ will begin accepting seedless raisins at a gross advance price of 80 TL/kg, down from 120 TL/kg last season. Growers say deductions could reduce receipts to 70–73 TL/kg, below an estimated production cost of 90 TL/kg, raising concerns about vineyard removals and future supply.
TARİŞ cuts the initial payment
Turkey’s new seedless raisin season has opened with a dispute over the price offered to growers. TARİŞ Grape Agricultural Sales Cooperatives Union said it would accept crops, without differentiating by quality, at a gross advance price of 80 TL per kilogram. Its appointment system will open on 7 September, with purchases starting on 10 September.
The figure is an initial payment rather than a final purchase price. TARİŞ can pay an additional price difference at the end of the season depending on its financial position. For growers, however, the harvest-time payment is critical because it must cover labor, input costs and outstanding debts.
Last season, TARİŞ announced an advance price of 120 TL/kg for No. 9 seedless raisins. Gıda Bülteni reports that growers had expected about 150 TL/kg this season because of rising costs, making the new offer 70 TL below their target.
Growers cite losses after deductions
Salihli Chamber of Agriculture President Cem Yalvaç said deductions would leave farmers with only 70–73 TL/kg. He estimated this season’s production cost at approximately 90 TL/kg. On that calculation, the gross advance price is already 10 TL below cost, while the effective shortfall after deductions would be wider unless TARİŞ later pays a substantial supplement.
Yalvaç argued that the price favors exporters and warned that uneconomic returns could cause growers to remove vineyards. He called for government support of 10–15 TL/kg, although even that payment would not close the gap between the 80 TL advance and growers’ 150 TL expectation.
YENİ Parti lawmaker for Manisa Bekir Başevirgen compared the offer with diesel at 82.50 TL per liter, saying 80 TL would no longer buy one liter. Salihli Mayor Mazlum Nurlu asked TARİŞ to reconsider and called on the Turkish Grain Board, or TMO, to announce its price, purchasing date and capacity. TMO has not yet published a purchase program for the 2026 season.
Export values sharpen the debate
TARİŞ Grape Union Chairman Ferhat Şen had pointed to an expected large crop and competition from China, Iran and Uzbekistan, where suppliers offer lower prices. He said Turkey could not sell at $3/kg when foreign buyers valued a product at $1.8–$2/kg, suggesting that growers’ preferred price could cost exporters market share.
Export data cited by Gıda Bülteni show a different benchmark. Between 1 September 2025 and 29 August 2026, Turkey shipped 71,880 tonnes of seedless raisins to the European Union for $236.9 million, equivalent to an average of $3.296/kg. Average values reached $3.26 in the Netherlands, $3.57 in Germany, $3.30 in France and $3.42 in Spain. Sweden averaged $4.62/kg and Denmark $4.73/kg.
Across all destinations, Turkey exported 139,400 tonnes during the 2025–2026 season and earned $455 million, an average value of $3.26/kg. These are export values rather than farmgate prices and include costs and margins after procurement, but they intensify scrutiny of the initial payment. Last year, after market prices declined against growers, TMO set a 120 TL/kg purchase price for No. 9 raisins. Its next decision may determine whether farmers hold stocks, deliver to TARİŞ or reconsider vineyard production.
