FAS: Turkey’s wheat, barley imports to soar

production year on year to 16.3 million tonnes, as a slight increase in wheat planted area will not offset the loss in yield. “Production could fall even lower depending on the extent of the drought damage,” the FAS said. “In the main wheat growing areas of central and southeastern Anatolia there was insufficient rainfall, higher-than-normal winter temperatures, and an unexpected spring frost event that is expected to depress wheat yields on dry (non-irrigated) wheat farms between 15% to 30% compared to last year.” To account for the expected drop in production, the FAS is ramping up its wheat import forecast to 10.3 million tonnes in marketing year 2025-26, more than tripling last year’s total of 3.2 million tonnes. If realized, it would be the highest intake since the 2019-20 season. The agency’s forecast for barley is even more dire, as it projects this year’s output at 5.1 million tonnes, a 28% decrease from the previous year. “In comparison to wheat, barley is at a higher ...