The cold weather hit the fields, tons of vegetables froze.

In Van, due to the freezing cold that has been effective in recent days, tons of vegetables have frozen in the fields.
The cold wave affecting the entire Turkey has also negatively impacted life in Van. The cold weather, which adversely affects every aspect of life, has caused tons of products expected to be harvested in the Gevaş district to freeze. A farmer named Necmettin Yavuz, who has been producing in Gevaş for 13 years, stated that he has never encountered such cold weather during these months before. Yavuz pointed out that the vegetables were negatively affected, especially due to the frost and snowfall that occurred two nights ago, and he mentioned that tons of products have frozen in the fields. Emphasizing that he plants dozens of vegetable varieties every year, from tomatoes to peppers, from eggplants to melons, and from cabbages to cucumbers, Yavuz said, “Two nights ago, there was a frost early in the morning and everything turned white. About 400 tons of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants were hit by the cold. We farmers are in a very unfortunate situation. It’s not just me, but my friends in Gürpınar are also experiencing great losses.”

“There is work in this country, but no workers”
Yavuz pointed out that one of the major reasons for the difficulties they face is their inability to find workers. He said, “There are Afghans who come from the border and work in Konya, Adana, and Mersin, but they are not allowed to work here. If we had 10 workers here and I could collect the tomatoes, I wouldn’t have suffered this much loss. When we employ even one Afghan, they penalize us. We are not saying let them come and steal. Let them come and work in the fields, be shepherds. Because as producers, we cannot find workers. If we could find workers, we wouldn’t face so many problems. There is work in this country, but no workers. I am someone who employs 70 people daily. There is work for 7 months with me, but no one comes to work. If our state leaders do not intervene in this sector, agriculture will end. When agriculture ends, it is the end of a country. Today, if I do not produce in this country, the people of Van will pay 50 TL for tomatoes and 70 TL for peppers even in the middle of summer. The other day, frost hit this region, and tomatoes and peppers found prices in the markets. While I sell peppers for 25 TL here, in the markets, the price has reached 70 TL. Therefore, we need to keep agriculture alive. If there is no agriculture and animal husbandry in a country, that country is finished,” he expressed.
Yavuz, who stated that there were previously 12 producers in Gevaş, now only he remains, said, “When there were 12 producers here, I am the only one left. I have 1,300 decares of land, but two days ago, frost hit and destroyed me. I no longer have the strength to stand. Right now, I owe money to the diesel seller, workers, and tradesmen. Which one should I pay? The state leaders should support the producers and farmers. For God’s sake, they should take a look at them.”