Agricultural workers, who are on their way to the greenhouses in the early hours of the morning in the villages of the Sogut district in the Sakarya basin, which meets the majority of the vegetable needs of the Marmara Region, are working very hard for their livelihood. Workers harvesting tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses are exposed to extreme heat for 8 hours a day, earning 15 USD per day.
In the villages of Sogut and Inhisar districts, approximately 30,000 people, consisting of both local people and seasonal workers, earn their livelihood from greenhouses.
Tomato and cucumber harvest continues in the region, where vegetables are shipped to big cities, especially Istanbul. Seasonal agricultural workers from Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, and Adana work in the tomato and cucumber greenhouses during the summer and contribute to production.
Ibrahim Metin, Head of Hamitabat Village in Sogut district, said that seasonal harvests started with a delay, and they struggled with the heat because it coincided with the season.
Stating that agricultural workers working in the greenhouse are the most affected by the hot weather, Metin said, "This is one of the places where the heat has been experienced the most in the last days. While we see 42-43 degrees in the thermometers, the greenhouse gases in the greenhouse and then the ground irrigation are high, so the humidity is high with the fertilizers we use. We are faced with extreme humidity, just like sea air, with an increase in salinity. Therefore, while it is sometimes 35-40 degrees outside, it gets extremely hot with humidity of up to 75% inside, which puts a strain on our workers."
Producer Halil Yavas said that he has been working in greenhouses for 15 years and that the extreme heat of the last few days has affected them, but they continue to work despite the heat to ensure continuous production in greenhouses.
High school freshman Neslihan Tekin stated that the greenhouses are very hot inside and said that the heat affected them, but they had to work and that she covered her school expenses with the money she earned.
Source: Medya Tava