Senegalese workers in tea harvesting

African tea workers, who were intensively seen in the tea harvest in the Eastern Black Sea Region in previous years, have started to be seen again in the tea gardens. Senegalese tea workers, who receive a daily wage of at least 2,000 TL and attract attention with their hard work, are loved by everyone in the region.

With the start of the first plucking period of the fresh tea season in the Eastern Black Sea Region, producers entered the tea gardens in recent days. In recent years, especially African, and more specifically Senegalese workers have been preferred in tea picking operations due to their diligence, replacing the workers who used to come from Georgia in the past. It was learned that Senegalese workers who enter the gardens early in the morning earn a minimum daily wage of 2,000 TL.

“When it’s ton work, it amounts to 5,500 TL per day”

Senegalese worker Süleyman Akbay, who has been picking tea in the district of Of in Trabzon for 3 years, said that he started picking tea 3 years ago. Akbay said, “In my first year, we had an uncle in Of. I worked with them for 2 years. This is my 3rd year. In my first year in Turkey, I was in Istanbul, when the tea season came, I came to Trabzon. Now I stay here. I started picking tea with scissors. Then I saw that everyone was using a motor to cut, so I went and bought a motor. My friends from Senegal came last year. I taught them how to pick tea. This year, our new friends also came. We don’t have much difficulty in the tea gardens here because we are used to it from our homeland. In hot weather, we see that the locals here sit while we work. Some people from Senegal want to come here to pick tea. Unfortunately, they cannot come easily. We work on a ton basis here. Prices vary. When it’s ton work, it amounts to 5,500 TL. I pick at least one ton daily. After the tea season ends, I stay in Trabzon. I work in the ports here. Now I’m one of the locals in Of.”

“Everywhere is Trabzon for us”

Senegalese Isa Bah, who stated that he came to Turkey 2 years ago, said, “I started picking tea for the first time this year. Our friend Süleyman is teaching me how to pick tea. Picking tea is very nice. Thanks to God, the people here are very good. After the tea season ends, I will go back to Istanbul. I work in a factory. We cut about 500 kilograms of tea per day. I will pick tea here for another 3 weeks. Now I feel like I’m from Trabzon. Everywhere is Trabzon for us,” he said.

Senegalese Mustafa Lo, who started picking tea last year, said, “We are happy in Trabzon and we will stay here until the tea picking job is done this year. We are very pleased with the people here. Everyone treats us well. We feel like we are in our own country here.”

Guinean Ibrahim Yello said he is very happy in Trabzon and started picking tea for the first time this year.

“People started coming here upon hearing the daily wage”

Trabzon native Erkan Karamustafa, who came from Istanbul to pick tea in his hometown, expressed that the season has started but it is tiring. “We continue to pick tea. This year, the yield decreased a bit due to drought. The shoots did not grow much. May God bless. People started coming here upon hearing the daily wage. We are not bothered at all. Not everyone can pick. There are elderly and sick people. The young ones have stopped coming to villages. In the past, people used to come from Georgia to pick tea here. Now they don’t come because our money is worthless to them. Previously, a doctor from Georgia used to come and say ‘what I earn here in 3 months, I can live for 1 year there.’ They have now stopped picking tea.”