Turkish Agriculturers’ Association (TZD) Chairman Hüseyin Demirtaş said that, according to last year’s rainfall, it has decreased by 53 percent during this period.
Demirtaş said, “Mainly grain crops will suffer from the drought in the first place.”
Stating that the grain does not need much water, when there is a decrease in the distribution of rainfall, the product germinating in the soil decays, Demirtaş explains that this will affect the yield negatively.
“The drought has started, the occupancy rate in the dams is at a critical level!” Demitaş noted.
Pointing out that those who planted in November might shift their planting to spring if the rainfall is low, Demirtaş added, “However, the crop harvest will not be as high as in planting. Although we produce about 22 million tonnes of wheat per year, we also import 10 million tons. We export some of this, but now current production is not enough for the population in Turkey.”