Turkey’s vegetable, cereal production expected to rise after draught year

ANKARA

REUTERS Photo

The production of fruits, vegetables and cereals and other crops is expected to increase when compared with previous year, the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK) said on May 26.

“An increase is expected in the production of cereals and other crops, fruits and vegetables in the first estimation of 2015 with rates of 9.6 percent, 6.1 percent and 3.2 percent when compared with the previous year. Production quantities of cereals and other crops, vegetables and fruits in 2015 are predicted approximately as follows: 65.3 million tons for cereals and other crops, 29.5 million tons for vegetables and 18.2 million tons for fruits,” the agency said. 

The TÜİK has estimated that in 2015, cereal production will increase with a rate of 17.5 percent when compared with the previous year, and become approximately 38.4 million tons.

Wheat production was expected to increase by 18.4 percent to become 22.5 million tons, barley production by 27 percent to 8 million tons, rice in the husk production will increase by 10.8 percent to 920,000 tons and maize production by 5.9 percent to 6.3 million tons, when compared with the previous year. 

Despite the expected rise in Turkey’s cereal production after a drought year, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has expected a decrease of around 1.5 percent in global cereal production, to 2.51 billion tons. 

Turkey’s cereal production decreased 12.7 percent last year to 32.7 million tons, due to harsh drought conditions. 

Vegetables production was expected to increase in 2015 compared with the previous year as well. 
The production of vegetables in 2015 has been estimated to be approximately 29.5 million tons, an increase of 3.2 percent when compared with the previous year.

When examining production of subgroups of vegetables, root and tuberous vegetables production were expected to increase by 5 percent, other vegetables not elsewhere classified with a rate of 0.6 percent and vegetables cultivated for their fruits were expected to increase by 3.2 percent. 

It was also estimated that fruits production will be 18.2 million tons in 2015, increasing by 6.1 percent when compared with the previous year.