Local Turkiye

Increase in wheat production will continue in 2021

The Food Committee is convened with the participation of Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli and Minister of Trade Ruhsar Pekcan; the measures against Covid-19, post-harvest grain developments and wheat production were discussed, it was also predicted that the yield will be 20.5 million tons with an increase of 8 percent in the 2020 production season as a result of field observations.

According to the wheat bulletin prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Product Desks, the wheat harvest is completed in Turkey. There was a productive season especially in the Southeastern Anatolia Region due to the 20 percent increase in production compared to 2019. Mediterranean Region, where the first harvests were made, also experienced a productive season. The impact of extreme heat and frost events in the Central Anatolia Region towards the end of May on yield was limited; in fact, the most productive season of the last 10 years was completed in Konya.

Harvest was average in Thrace, where production is intensely made in the Marmara Region, although diseases and pests were detected in local areas. The harvests in the Aegean Region were completed without any problems. According to the bulletin, it is estimated that the yield will increase by 8 percent, to 20.5 million tons. The fact that Turkish Grain Board (TMO) and Turkish Sugar made purchases along with non-market actors during the harvest enabled the market prices to stay above the TMO intervention purchase prices. This situation is expected to have a positive reflection on the wheat planting decisions in 2021, as the prices have met the producer’s expectation.

TMO is taking the necessary measures

In addition to the high purchase prices announced by TMO, the ministry also increased its fertilizer and premium support by 100 percent. These supports were effective in increasing the wheat production.

There was an intense increase in the demand for basic food products in Turkey due to the ongoing global pandemic and this increased the demand for TMO stocks. TMO continued its uninterrupted supply of products to the markets by reinforcing it’s stocks with foreign purchases during the season.

TMO is working within the scope of the market regulation task while it is estimated that the pandemic will continue and important grain exporting countries will have to restrict their exports. Accordingly, TMO is holding import tenders in order to prevent the effects of price increases triggering food inflation, to meet the raw material demands of the sector during the season, and to reinforce the wheat and barley stocks that reach a certain level with domestic purchases through imports and to be prepared for a worldwide distress.

source: AA / translated by Melisa Karayusufoglu

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