Extreme heat burned the melons, watermelons, peppers, and tomatoes

President of the Yüreğir Chamber of Agriculture, Mehmet Akın Doğan, stated that 50 acres of melon fields dried up due to extreme heat, saying ‘There are no melons, watermelons, peppers, and tomatoes left in all of Adana. Other crops have also been damaged.’ Due to experiencing the hottest June ever in Adana, a meteorological disaster occurred. Life came to a standstill as the temperature reached 43 degrees Celsius in the shade. Plants were affected by the extreme heat as much as humans, with melons, watermelons, and tomatoes being the most affected. Mehmet Akın Doğan, the President of the Yüreğir Chamber of Agriculture, said that farmers in the agricultural capital of Adana are in distress due to the extreme heat. Doğan mentioned that due to the extreme heat from the beginning of June until now, all the early-harvested watermelons, melons, tomatoes, and peppers in Çukurova have dried up, stating ‘We are currently in a melon field, and the entire 50 acres of melons have dried up due to the extreme heat. The temperature was showing 43 degrees Celsius when we came here by car. Due to the extreme heat, there are no melons, watermelons, tomatoes, and peppers left in all of Adana. Many other crops have also been damaged.’ He continued by pointing out that not only the late-harvested watermelons are affected but all other crops have been destroyed. He said, ‘Our farmer had set up a greenhouse on this field, and now he will start preparing for the second crop by plowing the field. I expect the year 2024 to be declared as a disaster year in Adana by our government. This issue cannot be solved by deferring debts. Our farmers are in trouble now, and we cannot close this season by deferring their debts. There are also problems with citrus fruits, corn, cotton, and other crops. We want Adana province to be included in the disaster scope; otherwise, Adana’s farmers are finished, barely surviving. There are no trucks to collect the watermelons. Transport prices have increased. Our farmers are in a difficult situation right now; we urgently need support for our farmers. We want all products grown in our region to be included in the TARSİM coverage against wind and heat. Just like insurance covers the damages when vehicles have accidents, we want our farmers who have TARSİM insurance to have their losses covered in this way.’ About two weeks ago, farmers’ crops were also damaged due to hail.