Press release…
The cotton harvest forecast for the Aegean Region 2020/2021 season was shared with the public after the meeting held on Monday, October 19, using video conference method due to the pandemic.
In addition to İzmir Commodity Exchange, Aegean Exporters’ Associations, İzmir Chamber of Commerce, Söke Commodity Exchange, Aydın Commodity Exchange and Ege University Faculty of Agriculture Soil Department, experts from Nazilli Cotton Research Institute also provided technical support to the yield estimation studies.
Speaking at the meeting in the presence of all parties, Izmir Commodity Exchange Board Treasurer Bülent Uçak said that in 2019-2020 season 814 thousand tonnes of fibre cotton production was realised across Turkey.
“While we argue that our production should increase to 1 million tonnes, we unfortunately expect our production to decline further this season to 600-650 thousand tonnes,” Bülent Uçak noted.
Stating that he most important reason why cotton production can still maintain these levels is the subsidy payment provided by the government, Bülent Uçak added, “Subsidy supports given by the state to seed cotton are vital for sustainable cotton production. These supports are the most important factor for our producers, who are intertwined with increasing input costs and similar economic problems, to continue their cotton production.”