Economic Structure of Tomato Production in Geothermal Energy-Heated Greenhouses: Simav District Case of Kütahya Province

The aim of this study was to determine the technical and economic structure of tomato production in greenhouses heated by geothermal energy in the Simav district of Kütahya province, Türkiye. The main material of the study consisted of data obtained from 40 farms through face-to-face surveys. The study examined the socio-demographic characteristics, production techniques, cost structures, and profitability indicators of the producers in detail. The study data covered the 2023-2024 production season. Tomato production in greenhouses heated by geothermal energy in the region was carried out in soilless plastic greenhouses. The average tomato production cost per hectare for the farm was calculated at 3,671,549.16 TRY. The variable costs accounted for 60.98% of production costs, while fixed costs accounted for 39.82%. The geothermal water fee per hectare was 136,740.69 TRY, which corresponds to 3.72% of production costs. The tomato yield per hectare in the region was calculated as 2,311,952.97 kg, and the cost per kilogram of tomatoes was determined as 15.88 TRY. The absolute profit, gross profit, and relative profit per hectare were determined as 817,059.59 TRY, 2,279,038.41 TRY, and 1.22, respectively. Research findings indicated that the level of agricultural organization in the interviewed agricultural enterprises was quite high. The tomatoes produced in the region were marketed under a contract production model through the Simav 4th September Eynal Agricultural Development Cooperative. The chemical fertiliser, depreciation, and capital interest accounted for the largest share of production costs. In this context, planning chemical fertiliser use based on leaf analysis and adopting balanced fertilisation practices in the plant nutrition strategy were crucial for both cost reduction and sustainable production.