03.10.2023 (World-Grain) - ANKARA, TURKEY — Sunflowerseed production in Turkey is forecast to decline by 20% in marketing year 2023-24 due to a persistent drought in the country’s most important sunflower-producing region, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

Turkey’s projected sunflowerseed output is 1.55 million tonnes, down by 50,000 tonnes from the FAS’ projection earlier this year and 350,000 tonnes from last year’s total output.

“Compared to last year, area harvested is down by 10% because some farmers, who were discouraged by low farmgate prices, switched to growing other crops, especially wheat, in hopes of better profit margins,” the FAS said. “In addition, worries about drought and high input costs has also discouraged some farmers from planting sunflowerseeds in marginal growing areas.”

An increase in imported sunflowerseed, a large share of which will likely come from Ukraine, is expected to offset the gap in production, the FAS noted. Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, imports of sunflower oil from the war-torn country have also surged, accounting for nearly 70% of Turkey’s imports.

In 2022-23, Turkey was tied with China as the world’s fourth largest sunflowerseed producer and was also a top-10 importer of the oilseed, according to the FAS.

https://www.world-grain.com/articles/19103-turkey-sees-sunflowerseed-production-decline