In Amed’s (Diyarbakır) Xana Axpar (Çınar) district, some farmers cultivate cotton, wheat, barley, and lentils, while others turn their land into vegetable gardens. The main problems they face are recent price hikes in electricity, diesel, fertilizer, and pesticides. Because of these increases, some farmers were only able to plant part of their land this year.
The ongoing oppression by DEDAŞ (Dicle Electricity Distribution Company) for many years has pushed farmers to the point of abandoning production.
Cotton producers from Caferkê (Kuruyazı) village in Xana Axpar spoke to ANF about their difficulties.
We cannot get the value of what we sell
Ahmet Çelik explained that rising costs have made production impossible. Çelik said: “I inherited cotton farming from my father and grandfather. I have been doing it alone for about five years. Our biggest problem is that our expenses are too high, and we cannot get the value of what we sell.
This year I planted 6.5 hectares (16 acres) of land, and my losses are huge. Compared to last year, fertilizer, diesel, and electricity prices have doubled, but the price of cotton has remained the same. When we sell cotton, it does not cover our expenses. I will no longer grow cotton. If I cannot earn, why should I continue this profession?
The electricity bills in particular have broken our backs. Everyone is complaining about this situation. DEDAŞ issues bills of thousands of liras as it pleases and leaves. Because of this, we are in great distress.”
We became laborers on our own land
Basri Ekinci, who has been farming for many years, voiced his frustration with state agricultural policies. He said that they cannot profit from the cotton they produce and that prices remain very low.
Ekinci said: “The cotton I sell does not cover my expenses. Above all, there is the oppression of DEDAŞ. I had two wells for irrigation. They came and shut one down. I tried to irrigate with the remaining one, but it was not enough. Then they fined me 1 million 750 thousand liras. Even though I paid that debt, they still did not reopen my well. Because of this, I could not irrigate. Honestly, we no longer know what to do.
If things continue this way, we will stop planting. We became laborers on our own land. The state truly does not support us. If the state really does not want us to farm, it should say this openly. We expect support from the state, but it does not give us any. If all the farmers’ wells are shut down, what will these people do? I am on the verge of giving up production, because the gap between income and expenses keeps widening.”