Farmer protest in Bursa: They crushed the tomatoes left in their hands with an excavator

Tomato producers in Karacabey, Bursa, crushed the tomatoes they were left with using an excavator.

12punto

The problems faced by tomato producers in Karacabey, Bursa, continue.

Producers, who held a 4-hour protest on the Bursa-Karacabey road in previous weeks to make their voices heard, had chanted slogans such as "government resign" and "farmers protect your crops," and had occasionally faced off with security forces.

Farmers had ended their protests following an announcement by the then-Bursa Governor Mahmut Demirtaş, who was later appointed to the General Directorate of Security, that purchases of tomatoes would begin at the committed price of 3.5 liras.

While the problems have not been resolved in the time that has passed and the farmers' distress continues to grow, a producer in Karacabey had about 30 tons of tomatoes harvested and wanted to deliver them to the factory at 2,300 liras per ton. However, the farmer, whose products were rejected on the grounds that some tomatoes were not fully ripe and others were muddy, received a rejection again even after having the tomatoes washed.

After being turned away from the factory gate 2-3 times, the farmers rented construction equipment yesterday and dumped the tomatoes from the truck onto the ground.