THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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September, 2026…
Türkiye’s eastern province of Erzurum has recorded a significant spike in sunflower production—which has rapidly expanded in recent years—and now accounts for 11 percent of total production across the country.
The number of farmers has risen from 980 to 3,210 in five years…
Alpaslan Kenger, the Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry, told an Anatolian Agency (AA) correspondent that they were nearing the end of a very productive season in Erzurum.
Stating that they expect much higher yields than in previous years, particularly for cereals, sunflowers and pulses, Kenger said:
“We are in the middle of the cereal harvest. At present, we are observing a spike of approximately 20–25 percent per decare compared to previous years. We can observe a steady increase in sunflower cultivation year on year. According to the Agricultural Registration System (ÇKS), whilst our cultivated area was 21,000 decares in 2021, it has risen to 115,000 decares by 2026. There is also a noticeable increase in terms of yield. Our harvest has risen from 3,600 tonnes to 36,000 tonnes. In addition, there has been an increase in the number of farmers. Whilst 980 farmers were growing sunflowers in 2021, 3,210 farmers are now engaged in sunflower cultivation in 2026.”
“The soils of Erzurum are clean and fertile, to the extent that we can say they are free from diseases and pests. Consequently, we are having an increase both in the area under sunflower cultivation and in crop yields,” he said…
