Turkish tomato farmers block major highway in protest of low prices

Duvar English

Tomato farmers on Aug. 8 blocked the intercity highway between the western Bursa and Balıkesir provinces protesting the low prices tomato paste factories offer them.

Farmers gathered under the leadership of the agriculture chambers of the Karacabey and Mustafakemalpaşa districts, assembling with their tractors on the Bursa-Balıkesir highway, a major highway connecting İzmir and Istanbul. 

The farmers blocked both directions of the road with their tractors, protesting the problems they faced in selling their products to the tomato paste factories, according to reporting by the Anadolu Agency (AA).

The protesters chanted slogans such as "Support the farmers" and "Government, resign," leading to occasional confrontations with other drivers on the road. Law enforcement intervened, urging the farmers to clear the highway.

During the intervention by the gendarmerie and riot police, chants of "Break the hands that harm farmers" could be heard. The protest caused a traffic jam stretching for kilometers. Farmers complained that not only tomatoes but other products were also unsold, calling on the government to take action.

Bursa Governor Mahmut Demirtaş, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP)'s Bursa MP Orhan Sarıbal, İYİ (Good) Party Bursa MP Selçuk Türkoğlu, the district governors, police chiefs, and gendarmerie commanders arrived at the scene, where small tensions had arisen between drivers and protesters who wanted the road reopened.

Governor Demirtaş, who met with the farmers, stated that they had been negotiating for about ten days to resolve the issues, saying, "We met with our chamber presidents. Then we talked with tomato paste factory managers and businessmen. Some factories have already started purchasing. In our discussions with the Agricultural Credit Cooperative, 30,000 tons of purchases have begun. We also spoke with the owners of more than 20 chain stores, and they will exclusively sell our products in their stores."

Demirtaş asked the farmers to end the protest, noting the inconvenience caused by the road closure. The protest ended after approximately 3.5 hours when the farmers accepted an offer of 3.5 lira per kilogram, and the highway was reopened to traffic.

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