Brewing contradictions: state intervention and commodity dynamics in tea agriculture in Turkey

Abstract

This study reevaluates the perceived decline of state involvement in agriculture and examines the contradictions of state intervention within neoliberal contexts through a commodity-specific analysis of tea production in Turkey. Based on fieldwork in Rize, which produces 65% of the country's tea and plays a central role in a nation with the highest per capita tea consumption globally, the study highlights the Turkish state's contradictory approach. This approach oscillates between aligning with the interests of capital and those of petty-commodity producers, often resulting in unsustainable outcomes and abrupt policy shifts shaped by the specificities of tea as a commodity, including its perishability, seasonality and low maintenance requirements. Labour strategies add another layer of contradiction, with the state actively facilitating migrant labour supply for harvesting when possible, while at other times turning a blind eye to irregular migration and informal labour markets controlled by brokers. This dual approach suppresses production costs and supports the continuity of smallholder tea cultivation, yet increasingly reinforces reliance on precarious and fragmented labour markets. The findings contribute to broader discussions on state involvement in agriculture, highlighting how policy, commodity traits and social class dynamics interact to shape sectoral outcomes.