Families in rural Kurdish areas of Turkey hit the fields to begin the backbreaking work of picking cotton.

"We've come to harvest cotton," says farmer Mizgin Eker from Diyarbakir

Some will pick 250-300 kilograms of cotton, as they work the fields from sunrise to sunset.

"Plowing hoeing and collection takes two months in autumn," explains farmer Delil Surmeli.

They say higher fuel prices and taxes have decreased their income this year.

Diyarbakir province alone boasts 50 cotton factories, which turn the crop into textiles and other products.