Türkiye faces one of most severe agricultural frosts in its history: Minister

ANKARA

Türkiye has been hit by one of the harshest agricultural frosts in recent memory, with temperatures plummeting substantially over a three-day cold spell between April 10 and 12, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı has announced.

“Such unfavorable weather circumstances led to one of the largest agricultural frost occurrences in our history, coming after the major agricultural frost event in 2014,” Yumaklı said in a statement posted on his social media account.

Temperatures in some regions dropped as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius during this period, marking the coldest weather recorded in the last 30 years in certain areas, he noted.

Just as the country was bracing to welcome the spring growing season, this late frost took a heavy toll on agricultural production across multiple regions.

In the western city of Manisa, one of Türkiye’s key grape-growing provinces, nearly 80 percent of vineyards were damaged.

Abdullah Şenol, head of a local chamber of agriculture, warned that if another frost hits, vineyards might have to be uprooted altogether. “This summer, grapes will be scarce and, if available, very expensive,” he told daily Milliyet.

“This year is already lost,” echoed Güngör Levent, a local vineyard owner. “We’re talking about damage in the billions of liras. If we face another frost like this, production will come to a halt. Next year? God only knows.”

The frost also impacted a range of other crops. Apricots, cherries, plums, walnuts and peaches all sustained significant damage.

In particular, in the eastern city of Malatya, a province responsible for 85 percent of the country’s apricot production, witnessed widespread losses.

Ramazan Özcan, head of the Malatya commodity exchange, MTB, said with the exception of wheat and barley, nearly all agricultural products in the province suffered damage. Noting that they generate over $500 million annually from apricots, Özcan warned that revenue could disappear this year.

In Elazığ, another eastern city, apricot, walnut and almond trees were also hit hard by frost and snowfall.

Farmers across regions such as northwestern Bursa and the central province of Nevşehir took desperate measures, lighting fires in orchards to protect blooming fruit trees.

Despite similar efforts, in the southwestern city of Isparta, 30 percent of rose production and 40–50 percent of cherry, peach and apricot crops were affected.

Tekirdağ, a Thracian province, also reported damage as vineyards had already started sprouting, while in central Çorum, many fruit trees also suffered damage.

The Turkish State Meteorological Service warned that the frost threat may persist in the coming days, leaving farmers across the country worried about further damage.