The Situation Is Dire! 100-150 TL in Alanya, 30 TL in Germany

Hasan Pekemen from Alanya outraged on social media as avocado costs 30 TL in Germany, but 100–150 TL in Turkey.

Hasan Pekemen, originally from Kahramanmaraş and residing in Alanya’s Mahmutlar District, lives in Alanya during the summer and in Germany during the winter. During a phone call with his children in Germany, he was shocked by the stark price difference in avocados and shared his frustration on social media.

According to Pekemen, his children told him that avocados at LIDL supermarkets in Germany were on sale for €0.66 each—approximately 30 TL. He immediately advised them to buy 20. However, this price is in sharp contrast to Turkey, where a single avocado sells for between 100 and 150 TL. Pekemen responded to this with, “Isn’t that just painful?”

In his social media post, he said, “Europe doesn’t envy us; we envy Europe,” criticizing how products exported from Turkey are sold cheaper in Germany despite additional costs like middlemen, shipping, and customs. He emphasized that it is unacceptable for a product sent to a country 10,000 kilometers away to be sold for less than in its country of origin.

Pekemen’s post reignited debate over agricultural pricing and the role of intermediaries in Turkey. Although Turkey is a producer country, many citizens continue to complain that they are forced to pay exorbitant prices for local products.