The heavy downpour, sudden floods, storm and tornado that hit the tourism city of Antalya last week damaged many agricultural lands and flooded homes and workplaces. Citizens had a difficult time due to the adverse weather conditions that lasted for 3 days in the city, which was warned by the General Directorate of Meteorology with a code orange. Due to 125.7 kilograms of precipitation per square meter in 24 hours, Serik district became the 2nd district with the highest rainfall in Turkey.
IT DAMAGED 4500 DECARE OF AGRICULTURAL LAND
Following the damage assessment made by Antalya Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry teams, it was determined that the extent of the damage in the region, mostly in Aksu and Serik districts, was serious. It was determined that the cultivated crops and greenhouses in an area of 4,500 decares, including greenhouses and fields, were unusable. It was learned that tomatoes and peppers are mostly among the products in greenhouse production that have not yet been harvested but are approaching harvest.
“THERE IS SERIOUS DAMAGE”
Antalya Wholesale Market Association President Nevzat Akcan said that the damage is at a level that will cause a problem in vegetable supply in the coming months. Stating that such a disaster puts the producer in a bad situation, Akcan said, “There is serious damage. Before we could get over the shock of the first damage, a tornado disaster occurred in the second region. We say that vegetable prices are expensive, but in such disasters, farmers have a hard time. The farmer’s harvest is over. 4-5 “The products he has been looking for for months are suddenly gone, mostly tomatoes and peppers,” he said.
“NEXT MONTH WILL BE MUCH OVER THESE PRICES”
Stating that the prices will only be reflected in the market next month, Mayor Akcan said, “Inevitably, there will be an increase in vegetable prices. I do not know how much of an increase there will be at the moment, but there will definitely be an increase. Currently, the price of tomatoes per kilogram is 25-30 liras, and peppers are at the same prices, but this will be the case next month.” “The prices will be much higher,” he said. Akcan added that the prices are determined according to the status of the products arriving early in the morning every weekday, and that it is difficult to predict the amount of the increase 1 month in advance.
“MANY HOUSES WERE FLOODED”
Serik Mayor Kadir Kumbul said that they have not encountered such an effective rainfall in the district for years. Kumbul said, “There were intense water accumulations in Serik district center, Belek and Kadriye regions. Many houses were flooded. We did not sleep at all, we mobilized. We provided accommodation support to our citizens whose houses were flooded. We have Pamuk Masa and we received over 250 reports. The public of our municipality “We had 24-hour food support at the restaurant,” he said.
Stating that the tornado damaged the greenhouses and fields, Mayor Kumbul said, “The products of our farmers were wasted. As the municipality, we are trying to heal the wounds and support our citizens. The citizens gave positive feedback when they saw that the state and Serik Municipality were on the field with all their heart.”
