The price of a kilogram of cotton is expected to increase from Kr 75 to TL 1 this season, which recently began, as many merchants go from village to village to purchase cotton by paying producers in advance. Most producers in Çukurova, Turkey's cotton production hub, quit cultivation in recent years over dissatisfaction with money they made from cotton, referred to as “white gold.” This year's cotton cultivation was some 30 percent less than in 2008.
Ceyhan Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Yavuz Tezcan said on Friday that the Çukurova region is losing its popularity as a cotton production hub because of a decrease in interest in cotton in recent years. Tezcan recalled that 260,000 tons of cotton were produced in an area covering around 450 million square meters in Adana and its surrounding region last year and said that there is a 25 to 30 percent decline in size of cotton cultivation areas. He explained that until the 1980s Turkey was a leading cotton exporter to the world, but “as a result of wrong policies that were implemented, Turkey's cotton import fell to 1 million tons in recent years.”
 Most producers in Çukurova, Turkey's cotton production hub, quit cultivation in recent years over dissatisfaction with money they made from cotton, referred to as “white gold.” |
Due to the decline in the size of the area of cultivation this year, demand for cotton has increased -- particularly in the textile sector, but also in the oil industry. Tezcan explained that the increase in demand has led to a rise in prices. Noting that the products of some agricultural workers are sold at farms, he said “cotton prices are high in world stock markets as well. We expect prices in the market to be around TL 1 [per kilogram]. If market conditions develop in this way, with some support, agricultural workers could make TL 1.40 to TL 1.50. If this trend remains, cotton may experience a new golden age in future years.”
Çukurova Cotton, Peanuts and Oil Seeds Cooperatives Association (Çukobirlik) Yumurtalık Cooperative Board of Directors Chairman Mustafa Genç said they cultivated 500,000 square meters of cotton in the town of Kaldırım and have started to reap the crop. Although they haven't completely harvested all the cotton, merchants are competing with one another in purchasing the cotton, he said. “The price of cotton was Kr 75 last year. We expect the price to be between Kr 85 and TL 1 due to the reduced production area. Merchants tell us, “Let us pay you TL 15-20,000 in advance and you give us the cotton.” It's very pleasing that it is being demanded at a high price. Increasing demand after many years of relatively low demand is making agricultural workers very happy.”
Ali Yüzer, an agricultural worker from the town of Yeşilköy, said he has 40,000 square meters of cotton and that merchants want to buy the crop by paying for it in advance. Noting that demand has made farmers that were previously upset with cotton sales rejoice, Yüzer said the size of cultivation areas may be increased in upcoming years.
