Turkey Will Reduce Wheat and Barley Production and Increase Their Imports in 2025/26 Marketing Year

This year, Turkey is expected to have a smaller wheat and barley harvest, as drier-than-usual weather conditions mean the country will need to increase imports to meet domestic demand. This is stated in a report by the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture, reported by World Grain. Specifically, in its July forecast, FAS predicts a 15% year-on-year reduction in wheat production in Turkey this year, to 16.3 million tons, as a slight increase in wheat acreage will not compensate for yield losses. "Production may decrease even further depending on the extent of drought damage. In particular, the main wheat-growing regions experienced insufficient precipitation, above-normal winter temperatures, and unexpected spring frosts, which are projected to reduce wheat yields by 15-30% compared to last year," the message notes. The agency's expectations for the barley harvest are even more pessimistic - the volume of Turkish grain production this year will be ...