Drought in Turkey will lead to a historical decrease in sunflower production, with an increased forecast for imports.

According to the FAS report, the production volume of sunflower seeds in Turkey in the current season will decrease to the lowest level in the past ten years. This is due to extremely dry weather in the main region where sunflower is grown.

In connection with this, the FAS has reduced the forecast for oilseed production by 300 thousand tons to 1.25 million tons, which is the lowest figure since the 2015/16 season.

The report states that conditions similar to drought are most common in the north-western part of Turkey, where more than half of the country's sunflower is produced.

Agricultural producers from Thrace report yields 50% below average. However, conditions for sunflower cultivation in other major regions of the country located in the central part remain normal, and it is expected that production there will meet historical values.

Due to the upcoming production deficit, the FAS has also revised the forecast for sunflower imports to Turkey upwards by 100 thousand tons - to 550 thousand tons compared to 380 thousand tons imported last season.