Olive prices in Soma's Avdan plummet to 10 lira, workers toil unpaid in fields

**Falling:** In Avdan Neighborhood, part of Manisa's Soma district, oil-olive prices per kilogram have dropped to as low as 10 lira — approximately half the 18–20 lira range reached in the same neighborhood last season.

According to reporting gathered by Cumhuriyet from the fields, harvest workers say they work certain days without receiving payment. One worker summed up the situation plainly: if the boss makes money, he pays; if he doesn't, the worker gets nothing either. They noted that they continue harvesting to prevent olives from being left on the branch, but they see no return for their labor.

The majority of workers in the fields are retirees. Women workers, explaining that their pensions are not enough to live on, said they join the harvest to be able to slip a little pocket money to their grandchildren. One woman, whose pension fell after losing her husband, said she goes to the field so she can press a few coins into her grandchild's hand as she sees her off to school — and she added that she collects scrap metal at night to make ends meet.

Behind the price decline lies a squeeze on production costs: while fuel, fertilizer, and labor expenses have held firm or risen, the farm-gate price has fallen at roughly twice the speed. Soma is one of Turkey's leading olive-producing basins, and the district's deteriorating economics could feed directly into cooking-oil prices.