CHP leader Özgür Özel speaks clearly at hazelnut rally: 'If there is no livelihood, the solution is now an election'

The Turkish Grain Board (TMO) has announced the purchase prices for shelled hazelnuts for the 2024-2025 season. Accordingly, the average price per kilogram is 135 lira for Giresun quality and 133 lira for Levant quality.

In a statement made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, it was also stated that an additional price of 1 lira and 30 kuruş per kilogram would be given for high-yield hazelnuts.

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel reacted to the hazelnut purchase price, which was announced as 130 TL. Özel visited a hazelnut orchard in Ordu and listened to the problems of the producers. 

'HAZELNUT PRICE SHOULD BE 185 TL'

After Ordu, Özel moved on to Giresun, where he attended his party's hazelnut rally. Speaking before the rally organized by his party in Giresun, Özel said, "This price is a betrayal of hazelnut producers. The chambers of agriculture have determined the cost of hazelnuts to be 165 TL. The hazelnut price should be 185 TL."

In his speech, Özel said, "Today's agenda is hazelnuts. We came here with two goals. We came to say, 'Announce the hazelnut price as soon as possible.' Secondly, the chambers of agriculture determined the cost of this hazelnut to be 165 TL. We came to say that the fair price for hazelnuts is 185 TL. It seems we achieved our goal; they announced the hazelnut price in a rush, but they announced it as 130-135 TL. This is a complete betrayal."

Stating that citizens will not be able to pay their debts with these prices, Özel said, "How will it work if you give hazelnut producers 130 TL and make them work? This price is a betrayal of the Black Sea. We will demand that this price be revised quickly."

'WE WILL DEMAND THE PRICE BE REVISED'

Stating, "We came here today to say 'be careful' and to 'make our voices heard before the pitcher breaks'," Özel said the following:

"Our rally will inevitably turn from a rally of warnings and demands into a rally of reaction and protest. We will demand that this price be revised quickly. With these prices, not only hazelnut producers but the entire region has been affected, as hazelnuts are a national product, an export product, and a product that contributes to the economies of the cities where they are produced. The tradespeople in our provinces will be greatly affected by this. This money is not given to be swallowed, but to be held. They take that money and share it with the entire city. Unfortunately, this price is a blow to the backbone of a city, it is breaking its back. I invite all hazelnut producers not to accept this price, to react to it, and to express their reactions at the highest level."

Emphasizing that they will stand by the hazelnut producers as long as they decide to seek their rights, Özel said, "We will make their voices heard. But as long as they sit with their heads bowed, the stick of those in power will not be off the backs of the hazelnut producers. See this. The time for taking a beating is over; now is the time to show your strength to those who commit this injustice. If this price remains here, it means the bankruptcy of the Black Sea."

'INFLATION CANNOT BE LOWERED BY CONDEMNING PEOPLE TO HUNGER'

Özgür Özel continued his words as follows:

"There is such a shallow perspective for fighting inflation: If there is too much money, it gets spent, and if it gets spent, there is inflation. In terms of macroeconomics, this is fundamentally a correct assessment, but while doing this, you say, 'Let me give this money to the hazelnut producer below the cost, so they can pay their fertilizer debt, pay their loan debt, pay their diesel debt, pay their other debts, and have no money left for themselves so that inflation goes down.'

Inflation cannot be lowered by condemning these people to hunger, misery, and poverty. This cannot be done by leaving the hazelnut producers in Ordu and Giresun face-to-face with the threat of foreclosure. There are children waiting for weddings, there are children waiting for pocket money to go to school. How will this happen if you give the producer 130 lira and make them work below cost? Who is working below cost today?

'THIS IS A BETRAYAL OF THE BLACK SEA'

Which boss or contractor do you force to work below cost, yet you offer a price below cost to the laborers in 500,000 hazelnut orchards that affect 5 million people? What has been done is a blatant betrayal of the Black Sea. It is condemning the Black Sea to hunger and misery."

Here are the highlights from Özel's speech:

By coincidence, I said this at the meeting in the province a little while ago; there is such a shallow perspective on fighting inflation: if there is too much money, it gets spent, and if it gets spent, there is inflation. Fundamentally, this is a correct assessment in terms of macroeconomics. But while doing this, you say, 'Let me give this money to the hazelnut producer below cost, let them pay their fertilizer debt, pay their loan debt, pay their fuel debt, pay their other debts, pay their labor costs, so that no money is left for them, and inflation will fall...'

Inflation cannot be lowered by condemning people to hunger, misery, and poverty. This cannot be done by leaving the hazelnut producers in Ordu and Giresun facing the threat of foreclosure. How will it work if you give these hazelnut producers 130 lira and make them work below cost?

'THIS PRICE IS A BLOW TO THE BACKBONE OF A CITY'

We had come to our rally today to warn before the pitcher was broken. They broke the pitcher in the early hours of the morning. Naturally, our rally will inevitably turn from a rally of warning and demand into a rally of reaction and protest. Because, of course, we will demand that this price be revised quickly. But with these prices, not only the hazelnut producers but all these cities, where hazelnuts are produced as a national product and an export product, and which contribute incredibly to the economies of those cities, have been affected.

Now, the shopkeepers in the bazaars of Trabzon, the shopkeepers in the bazaars of Bartın, and all the shopkeepers and all the people of Ordu and Giresun will be very negatively affected by this. This money is not given to the producers to swallow, but to hold. They take that money and share it with the entire city. Unfortunately, this price is a blow to the backbone of a city; it is breaking its back.

'IF THERE IS NO LIVELIHOOD, THERE IS AN ELECTION'

I ask you, will we accept this price? Will we fight against this? We will not let you be crushed like ants; the ant has a brother, and that is the CHP. You cannot make a living with this hazelnut money or tea money. If there is no livelihood, there is an election. I said on April 1st that I would not be opportunistic and call for an early election just by showing our election results. But I said I have one condition: give people their rights and what they deserve, otherwise there will be an election. I cannot turn a deaf ear to their distress. Now, in this situation, there is no livelihood, and the solution is an election.

'I DARE YOU, MR. TAYYİP'

We will not let the rights of the hazelnut grower, the producer, and the farmer be trampled upon. We will win! Mr. Tayyip, I am not the one making these people say 'early election,' you are. You say 130 lira for hazelnuts, and they want an early election. I am calling out to Mr. Tayyip from here: I dare you! If you think the people of Giresun can make a living with 130 lira for hazelnuts, come next Friday, hold a rally like mine, and fill this square.

'I INVITE HAZELNUT PRODUCERS TO REACT TO THIS PRICE'

There is no other explanation for what has been done to Giresun and Ordu; what has been done to Trabzon, Bartın, Artvin, and Sakarya. I invite all hazelnut producers not to accept this price, to react to it, and to voice this reaction at the highest level. We will take the first step of this at the rally we are going to hold.

As long as the hazelnut producer seeks their rights and decides to search for them, we will be by their side. We will be with them. We will make their voices heard, but as long as they sit with their heads bowed, the stick of those in power will not be absent from the backs of the hazelnut producers.

'WE WILL REBEL AGAINST BANKRUPTCY AND CLAIM OUR RIGHTS'

See this. The time for being beaten is over. The time has come for the hazelnut grower to show their strength to those who commit this injustice. My entire call is in this direction. Raise your voices. If this price remains here, it means the bankruptcy of the Black Sea. We will rebel against this bankruptcy and claim our rights together.

'WE WILL NEVER PUSH ANYONE AWAY'

I wholeheartedly believe that our organization, our municipality, and our deputies will achieve great success in the coming period. The public believes in this as well. As you know, we became the leading party for the first time in 47 years. For the first time in 22 years, the AK Party lost an election.

They have fallen to the position of the second party, and for the first time in 22 years, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has lost his status as the country's most voted-for and most popular politician. We will maintain this. We will never push anyone away. Without making any distinction between those who voted for us and those who did not, we will provide the best and most equal service to everyone."