by PressOverview of the Turkish oilseeds market for the current season
Overview of the Turkish oilseeds market: increase in cultivated areas
Experts have reviewed the Turkish market of oilseeds. According to forecasts, in the current season in the country it is planned to sow sunflowers on 760 thousand hectares of land. Oilseeds will occupy 675 thousand hectares of this figure, 55 thousand hectares are for confectionary varieties and 30 thousand hectares are for the cultivation of seeds. The production volume from this area is expected to be about 1.75 million metric tons.
There is a steady increase in demand for oilseeds in the world, and to meet it, Turkish farmers are increasing the supply. They have expanded the area under cultivation of sunflowers, as well as facilities for processing products, which resulted in the last few years, imports and exports of sunflower oil from Turkey has increased significantly.
Last year, imports of oilseeds into the country amounted to 899 thousand tons, sunflower meal — more than 788 thousand tons, and sunflower oil — 732 thousand tons.
It should be noted that Turkey has a huge potential for processing and re-export of products, but the limiting factor is the high oil prices within the state.
The main region where oilseeds are grown is Thrace and its three provinces. They account for over 40% of sunflower production. The second most important provinces are Konya and Adana. This season there was dry weather, which delayed the start of the sowing campaign by 2 weeks. The young shoots suffer from lack of moisture and this will lead to a reduction in yields. However, losses will be compensated by the expansion of sowing areas.
Production of sunflower meal will increase to 1.46 million tons, last season this figure was at 1.227 million tons. The reason for last year’s decrease in production was a decrease in demand in the animal feed sector.
Sunflower oil is projected to reach a mark of 1.138 million tons, which will meet the demand on the domestic market for the product itself and food products using oil. Production is mostly from local seeds with an oil content of 43.5%.
As for domestic consumption, the volume of sunflower meal will increase to 2.4 million tons. Two previous seasons, this figure was 2.3 million tons. The cost of a sunflower meal will be at the level of 360 dollars per ton, last year the price was kept in the range of 260 dollars per ton.
Consumption of solar oil will reach 1.18 million tons, assuming there is not another COVID-19 outbreak in the country. It should be noted that this type is considered to be the most popular oil in Turkey, and demand for it is always high.