Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Tomato drying shifts have begun on the vast lands at the foothills of Mount Erciyes in the Yeşilhisar and İncesu districts of Kayseri.
Tomatoes grown in different parts of the city are harvested by local producers in August and transported in crates by vehicles to the expansive fields at the base of Mount Erciyes.
Here, the tomatoes are unloaded onto the tarpaulin-covered fields by workers called "craters," after which other laborers first slice them in half and then salt them.
Seasonal workers, most of whom work as families under the sun, start their tasks at sunrise without even having breakfast and continue tirelessly until sunset, racing against time.
The tomatoes, which remain laid out for about 12 days, are reloaded into trucks in sacks once they reach the desired consistency. They are then sent to factories in İzmir for processing before being exported abroad.
— “We enjoy the work we do” —
Ramazan Çoban (55), who is in charge of the workers, told an AA correspondent that the job is demanding.
Stating that they work in Kayseri until planting season, Çoban said:
“This work takes about 2 months. We stayed one month in İzmir and will stay one month here. We enjoy what we do.”
Emphasizing that nearly everyone works as a family, he added:
“There are 80 of us working here. I came with 13 members of my family. We earn about 17 lira per crate. We get up at 6 a.m. and arrive here. We work until 8 a.m. and then have breakfast. We continue until 7 p.m. Around 100–150 tons of tomatoes arrive daily. Our task is only to cut and salt them. The sun is intense. We sweat from the heat. We’ll stay here for 1–2 months. The work is very tough. The weather is extremely hot. Despite the hardships, we keep working.”
Mehmet Veysi Hançer (32) said they came from Siverek, in Şanlıurfa, to work.
Explaining that he came with his five children to work as a family, Hançer said they don’t shy away from working despite all the difficulties.
Highlighting their early start, he added:
“Every day, 150 to 200 tons of tomatoes arrive. The work is done crouching. By evening, our legs swell up.”
Tomato drying shifts have begun on the vast lands at the foothills of Mount Erciyes in the Yeşilhisar and İncesu districts of Kayseri.
Tomatoes grown in different parts of the city are harvested by local producers in August and transported in crates by vehicles to the expansive fields at the base of Mount Erciyes.
Here, the tomatoes are unloaded onto the tarpaulin-covered fields by workers called "craters," after which other laborers first slice them in half and then salt them.
Seasonal workers, most of whom work as families under the sun, start their tasks at sunrise without even having breakfast and continue tirelessly until sunset, racing against time.
The tomatoes, which remain laid out for about 12 days, are reloaded into trucks in sacks once they reach the desired consistency. They are then sent to factories in İzmir for processing before being exported abroad.
— “We enjoy the work we do” —
Ramazan Çoban (55), who is in charge of the workers, told an AA correspondent that the job is demanding.
Stating that they work in Kayseri until planting season, Çoban said:
“This work takes about 2 months. We stayed one month in İzmir and will stay one month here. We enjoy what we do.”
Emphasizing that nearly everyone works as a family, he added:
“There are 80 of us working here. I came with 13 members of my family. We earn about 17 lira per crate. We get up at 6 a.m. and arrive here. We work until 8 a.m. and then have breakfast. We continue until 7 p.m. Around 100–150 tons of tomatoes arrive daily. Our task is only to cut and salt them. The sun is intense. We sweat from the heat. We’ll stay here for 1–2 months. The work is very tough. The weather is extremely hot. Despite the hardships, we keep working.”
Mehmet Veysi Hançer (32) said they came from Siverek, in Şanlıurfa, to work.
Explaining that he came with his five children to work as a family, Hançer said they don’t shy away from working despite all the difficulties.
Highlighting their early start, he added:
“Every day, 150 to 200 tons of tomatoes arrive. The work is done crouching. By evening, our legs swell up.”
