The problems of producers and workers in the seasonal agricultural work: The case of tea farming

Tea is the most consumed and the oldest beverage in the world after water and is produced in limited countries with certain agroecological conditions. Turkey is the fifth largest tea-producing country in the world and has the highest per capita tea consumption in the world. This study aims to reveal the socioeconomic problems of two fundamental factors of tea farming, tea producers and seasonal workers working in the tea harvest. Thus, a survey was conducted with a total of 478 people, 302 tea producers, and 176 workers in the provinces of Rize, Trabzon, and Artvin, which supply more than 90% of tea production in Turkey in 2020 and 2021. Accordingly, the tea market in Turkey is characterized by an oligopsony market structure with many small-scale producers. Findings indicate that the most important problems of the producers are ÇAYKUR's quota and quota application, the sale of fresh tea leaves, the purchase price of tea leaves by the private sector, the rough terrain structure, and the difficulty of the work, respectively. The most important cost factors in tea farming are fertilizer, labor and transportation, respectively. Despite the increasing input costs, the fact that the price increases for fresh tea are less makes it difficult for the producers to make a living with the income they earn from tea. The workforce in the labor-intensive tea harvest consists of casual men workers and female unpaid family workers. It is found that both the producers and the workers have different occupations than tea farming, they get their social security and primary income from non-agricultural works, and for this reason, tea agriculture constitutes a secondary income. The main problems of workers are low wages, informality and difficulties arising from land conditions. While most workers (especially women) are under dependent insurance coverage, others (all men) do not have social security.