Adana Citrus Producers’ Association (ADATUB) chairman Rifat Karabucak, said that last month’s 40.5% inflation on lemon prices has opened the road to early harvesting. Karabucak states that this situation is damaging for both producers and consumers; lemons which have not sufficiently ripened and which are not yet juicy enough, are circulating the market and there is no demand for them from the purchaser, “This will be a blow to all citrus producers in the next harvest period.”
Growers harvesting lemons early in the hope of getting high prices has led to a drop in product quality. “In the last few months lemon prices have been higher than usual and some growers, expecting a higher price, are beginning to harvest early. However the product is not ripe enough and consumers do not want it.”
Producers turn to artificial lemon juice
Early harvesting in the hope of high prices is damaging both the consumer and producer, Karbucak explains, “Because lemons are expensive, consumers have begun to turn to cheaper alternatives such as artificial lemon juice. In the coming months we are worried that a similar dangerous situation will be triggered in grapefruit, mandarins and oranges. Harvesting the lemons early when they are not yet ripe can evoke negative opinions for other citrus products. This has caused a bad start and leads to a bad path for the citrus industry.”
ADATUB Chairman Karabucak has also said that they have requested the implementation of penal sanctions on those who harvest unripe fruits.
