Irregularities Behind the Rise in Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Prices Detected

In its investigations to research the reasons for exorbitant increases in fresh vegetable and fruit prices, the Tax Inspection Board brought to light irregularities, fictitious trades, and fake cost games in the supply chain stretching from the field to the table.

Price Increase Through Intermediary Companies

It was determined that instead of being offered directly for sale, products purchased from producers changed hands three to five times by inserting different companies in between.

It was determined that product prices were artificially inflated by creating new prices in each of these commercial links, which were not economically necessary.

Fake Costs and Record Games

Inspectors compared farmer declarations, producer receipts, and Wholesale Market Registration System data, determining that companies created records with higher amounts than the actual purchase price.

It was documented that products sold by producers at low prices were shown at much higher costs in supplier records, creating unfair price differences.

Receipts in the Name of Deceased Persons

It was revealed that in order to manipulate prices in the market, eighty-seven fake producer receipts totaling over two and a half million liras were issued in the name of forty-nine deceased persons.

It was evaluated that some major suppliers showed the amount of products they offered to the market as low, creating the impression that supply was limited and paving the way for price increases.

Wide Gap in Lemon Prices

It was determined that newly harvested lemons, which dropped as low as five liras in the field, had a wholesale market price of ten lira, while bazaar and supermarket prices rose to much higher levels.

It was stated that hundreds of thousands of tons of lemons kept in warehouses could be used to manipulate prices in the market and costs multiplied the final price.