Possible Effects of Licensed Warehousing System on Hazelnut Producers’ Incomes in Türkiye

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This study investigates the impact of licensed warehouses and government support on the income of hazelnut producers in Turkey. The findings reveal that utilizing licensed warehouses to store hazelnuts resulted in a 10% increase in income, while government support led to a 22% rise in income. These results imply that hazelnut producers should consider storing their crops and selling them at a later time to enhance their income. Furthermore, the study highlights the necessity of sustained government support until the system achieves self-sufficiency. While the article offers a comprehensive analysis of the issue, it does have certain limitations.

 

1. What is the specific definition of licensed warehouses in Türkiye? How are they different from other types of warehouses?

2. This study uses 14 years of time series data for analysis. Why did you choose this time range? Is there any special time background or reason?

3. In addition to licensed warehouses and government support, are there other factors that have an impact on producer income?

4. In the introduction, it is mentioned that Turkey is the world's leading producer and exporter of hazelnuts. Can you further expand on the specific contribution of the hazelnut industry to Turkey's agricultural economy, employment and export revenue? Can you strengthen the explanation of this part with specific data or examples?

5. The introduction mentioned that the existing literature on licensed warehousing systems is relatively limited, especially research on the long-term income impact. Can you list some specific existing studies and elaborate on the gaps filled by this study?

6. In the introduction, the description of the research objectives is relatively brief. Can you further clarify the specific purpose of this study and its potential contribution to existing literature or actual policy?

7. In the Materials and Methods section, the data sources are 14 seasons from 2009/2010 to 2022/2023. Please clarify the definition of seasons.

8. In the Materials and Methods section, it is mentioned that there are 224 licensed warehouses in Turkey, but there is only one licensed warehouse in Giresun province, and its production capacity is 17,000 tons. The number and capacity of licensed warehouses in Giresun province seem to be limited. Is there a significant difference with the number in other provinces? Should there be an explanation as to why there are more warehouses in some provinces and fewer in Giresun?

Author Response

Reviewer 1:

The reviewer stated that the article provided a comprehensive analysis of the problem. However, he/she made some suggestions regarding the introduction and material methodology. The article was revised according to these suggestions. These were;

Comments 1. What is the specific definition of licensed warehouses in Türkiye? How are they different from other types of warehouses?

Response 1. Agree. I have accordingly done. The requested explanations are added on page 2, paragraph 1 and lines 56-61 of the article.

 

Comments 2. This study uses 14 years of time series data for analysis. Why did you choose this time range? Is there any special time background or reason?

Response 2. Since the healthiest and longest available data set is 14 years, this data set was selected. The reason for the selection of the long-term data set is explained in page 4, paragraph 5, lines 162-163. The text in the article has been updated. The phrase ‘14 years’ has been added to this sentence.

 

Comments 3. In addition to licensed warehouses and government support, are there other factors that have an impact on producer income?

Response 3. Of course, there are many factors affecting producer incomes. However, these are not the subject of this study. In this study, it is aimed to reveal the effects of price changes, storage and at the same time government supports on the incomes of hazelnut producers.

 

Comments 4. In the introduction, it is mentioned that Turkey is the world's leading producer and exporter of hazelnuts. Can you further expand on the specific contribution of the hazelnut industry to Turkey's agricultural economy, employment and export revenue?

Response 4. Agree. I have accordingly done. It was added on page 1 of the article (in the introduction) in paragraph 1 and lines 33-35.

 

Comments 5. The introduction mentioned that the existing literature on licensed warehousing systems is relatively limited, especially research on the long-term income impact. Can you list some specific existing studies and elaborate on the gaps filled by this study?

Response 5. Agree. I have accordingly done. On page 2 of the article, in the last paragraph, in lines 74-76, the proposed clarification was added.

 

Comments 6. In the introduction, the description of the research objectives is relatively brief. Can you further clarify the specific purpose of this study and its potential contribution to existing literature or actual policy?

Response 6. Agree. I have accordingly done. On page 2 of the article, the proposed explanation was added in the last paragraph, last line (77) and on page 3, first paragraph, line 78-82.

 

Comments 7. In the Materials and Methods section, the data sources are 14 seasons from 2009/2010 to 2022/2023. Please clarify the definition of seasons.

Response 7. Agree. I have accordingly done. The season was defined and added to page 3, paragraph 2, lines 104-106.

 

Comments 8. In the Materials and Methods section, it is mentioned that there are 224 licensed warehouses in Turkey, but there is only one licensed warehouse in Giresun province, and its production capacity is 17,000 tons. The number and capacity of licensed warehouses in Giresun province seem to be limited. Is there a significant difference with the number in other provinces? Should there be an explanation as to why there are more warehouses in some provinces and fewer in Giresun?

Response 8. During the translation, it was realised that this section was not given clearly enough. In line with the referee's suggestion, the sentence on page 3, paragraph 2, lines 106-108 has been changed and the necessary correction has been made. An explanation has also been added on page 3, paragraph 1, lines 78-79.

I would like to thank the esteemed reviewer for his meticulous examination of my research and for his contributions.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The practice of storing freshly harvested fruits or seeds is widespread globally. It is important to note that the construction process should be based on market research conducted by operators and comply with local legal and regulatory requirements. Local managers should also pay timely attention to market dynamics to make informed decisions. More crucial than establishing storage facilities is the interconnectedness of supply and demand. It is recommended that the author include a discussion on this aspect.

The article also requires some formatting improvements. For example, Figure 1 lacks a scale and a compass, and it would be beneficial to add coordinates. Additionally, Figure 2 lacks titles and units on the vertical and horizontal axes, and the percentage symbol is repeated unnecessarily.

Author Response

Reviewer 2:

Comments 1. The practice of storing freshly harvested fruits or seeds is widespread globally. It is important to note that the construction process should be based on market research conducted by operators and comply with local legal and regulatory requirements. Local managers should also pay timely attention to market dynamics to make informed decisions. More crucial than establishing storage facilities is the interconnectedness of supply and demand. It is recommended that the author include a discussion on this aspect.

Response 1. The reviewer suggested that ‘more important than building storage facilities is the interconnectedness of supply and demand. A discussion on this can be added’. However, the main reason for the emergence of this study is the supply agglomeration that occurs due to the hazelnut harvesting in the same period throughout the country. The main purpose of warehousing is to ensure that the supply is distributed throughout the year by preventing the supply accumulation after harvest. Licensed warehousing deals with the supply side of production. However, it also guarantees the supply of products to consumers at the same standard and in sufficient quantity. As a solution to this situation, the effects of storage and state support have been investigated and these issues are explained in detail in the study. Necessary explanations are given on page 2, paragraph 1, lines 46-55.

 

Comments 2.  The article also requires some formatting improvements. For example, Figure 1 lacks a scale and a compass, and it would be beneficial to add coordinates. Additionally, Figure 2 lacks titles and units on the vertical and horizontal axes, and the percentage symbol is repeated unnecessarily.”

Response 2. Agree. I have accordingly done.  The requested additions were made in Figure 1. The corrected figure was added to the beginning of page 2, line 42.

The corrections specified in Figure 2 were made. The corrected figure was added to the end of page 10, line 376.

 

I would like to thank the esteemed reviewer for his meticulous examination of my research and for his contributions.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Using only the profitability coefficient (K) and the percentage of profit or loss (R) to measure the impact of the licensed warehousing system on producers' income is relatively simplistic. It may overlook other important economic indicators and influencing factors such as producers' cash flow status and asset-liability ratio, and cannot comprehensively evaluate the impact of this system on producers' financial conditions.Is it possible to add more parameters for the research?

Author Response

Reviewer 3:

Comments 1.  Using only the profitability coefficient (K) and the percentage of profit or loss (R) to measure the impact of the licensed warehousing system on producers' income is relatively simplistic. It may overlook other important economic indicators and influencing factors such as producers' cash flow status and asset-liability ratio, and cannot comprehensively evaluate the impact of this system on producers' financial conditions.Is it possible to add more parameters for the research?

Response 1. The main objective of this study is to reveal the effects of licensed warehousing on producer incomes, taking into account price changes over time. In order for the referee recommendation to be included in the study, data need to be collected again at the producer level. The reviewer's suggestion can form a basis for future studies. Thank you very much for your valuable suggestion.

 

I would like to thank the esteemed reviewer for his meticulous examination of my research and for his contributions.

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx