Peasants struggle in Turkey – Follow up

Featured image: road blocks set up by peasants; Source: duvaR

We continue our previous report:

Peasants have been organizing protests in many regions for weeks rebelling against their worsening living and working conditions in many parts of the country. After Bursa, Izmir, Manisa, Balıkesir, Malatya and Iğdır, peasants in Turkey’s southeastern Maraş province organized a protest by forming a convoy of tractors to confront the state authorities being responsible for the disastrous situation they face. The convoy blocked an intercity highway, causing a heavy traffic jam.

These tomato and pepper growing peasants from Turkey’s southeastern Kahramanmaraş province on August 17 blocked the intercity highway with their tractors in protest despite that the governor’s office banned the protest. The Chamber of Agriculture, a somehow representative organization of the peasantry, rejected to participate. The protestors called for the resignation of agricultural chamber leaders, accusing them of living in luxury while the peasantry faces hard challenges and a dire situation.

While the peasantry faces quite low prices offered by trading monopolies the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) announced that the agricultural products producer price index [the prices of agricultural products on the market] increased by 41.07 percent compared to last year. The highest annual change was oil, with an increase of 157.48 percent. The least increase is in the “live poultry and eggs subgroup” with 11.24 percent.

Meanwhile an irrigation crisis develops in Adana. It was announced that irrigation water will not be provided to peasants preparing for vegetable planting in the upcoming autumn period due to the “lack of sufficient water” in the Seyhan Dam in Adana. Peasants already speaking about that there will be a famine. According to the authorities onions, garlic, potatoes and vegetables should not be

planted in the autumn months, because the amount of water available from the Seyhan dam could only meet the needs of citrus, fruit and sapling gardens.

The dry weather also causes other issues on the countryside. It was reported that 1440 people were evacuated due to fires in Gördes and Salihli districts of Manisa. In Karayakup 20 houses including the mosque burned down to ashes. In Kale some houses burned down completely, as well. In İzmir Karşıyaka 16 houses burned down.