Sunflower, which has an important place in edible oils and nuts production in Turkey, is counting days to harvest.
Sunflower fields were painted yellow in July in Vezirköprü district of Samsun province, where many different agricultural products are grown.
Harvest time of the mature sunflower has approached. Sunflower, which will be harvested towards the end of August, is used in many places from human and animal nutrition to the industrial sector.
According to information received from Vezirköprü Chamber of Agriculture, it meets 4 percent of Turkey’s vegetable oil needs. The Chamber of Agriculture wants 3 thousand 300 TL per tonne this year which was 2 thousand 500 TL last year.
“We meet about 4 percent of the country’s production”
Vezirköprü Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Arslan Yıldırım said, “We have 93 thousand decares of sunflower planting area in our district this year. Last year, the price per tonne was announced as 2 thousand 500 TL. Prices decreased over time. Sunflower was sold up to 2 thousand TL. This year, we expect a better price.”
Yıldırım added, “We want a base price in order to make our farmers happy and meet their sweat to be at least 3 thousand 300 TL. Almost all products are grown in Samsun region. Especially in Vezirköprü and Havza district, there is predominantly wheat and sunflower. Sunflower is planted on 87 thousand decares of the basin. Sunflower harvest is expected to begin towards the end of this month.”