Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 24 ISSUE 4
Written by Bektaş KADAKOĞLU, Mevlüt GÜL

In this study, the development of cucumber production in the world and Türkiye and the changes and seasonal fluctuations in cucumber prices in Türkiye were analyzed. The price data used in this study cover the period 2010-2023 and were obtained from the Antalya Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market. Production data covers the period 2000-2022 and was obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Türkiye ranks 2nd in the world in terms of cucumber production and therefore has significant cucumber production potential. Cucumbers, which are produced both in greenhouses and open fields, are supplied almost every month of the year. In 2023, 57.42% of the total cucumber production in Türkiye came from greenhouses and 42.58% from open fields. In this study, seasonal index values of cucumber prices were calculated and compared in three ways: simple average, moving average, and trend analysis. According to all three methods, cucumber prices increased in December, January, February, and March and decreased in May, June, and July. The reason for this is that field cucumbers are harvested in the summer, which increases their supply and decreases their prices. We also found seasonal fluctuations in cucumber prices throughout the year. This can be explained as follows; since cucumber is a perishable product, its storage period is short, and they should be consumed immediately after harvest. Therefore, the demand for cucumber is high during the harvest season, whereas the demand for cucumber continues throughout the year. In this case, supply is delayed to match demand and causes price fluctuations.

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