It is demanded that sunflower imports, in which there is a production inadequacy, should be banned and thus producers should be supported while avoiding 500 million dollars of import.
Sunflower is one of the agricultural products in which Turkey has a production deficit. Despite the annual production of 2 million tons, the need is about 3.5-4 million tons. This means imports reaching 500 million dollars.
Early harvest has begun in sunflower…
The earliest harvest is made in the Çukurova region. Republican People’s Party (CHP – Main opposition political party in Turkey) Adana Deputy and a member of the TBMM (Grand National Assembly) Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs Commission Ayhan Barut visited the fields in Adana province where the harvest is being made and talked about the problems in this product.
Stating that the importance of safe food has demonstrated itself during the pandemic period, Barut said, “Turkey has become a net importer of many agricultural products.”
Barut made the following statement: “The average annual sunflower production is realized in 600 thousand hectares across Turkey. Annual production is 2 million tons. But Turkey needs 3.5- 4 million tons. The gap is made up for by imports. However, Turkey has a capacity to produce 4 million tons.”
Barut also stated that more than 1 million tons of sunflower is imported every year and more than 500 million dollars are paid abroad for this, meanwhile reminding that the dollar has increased to 7.40 liras and drew attention to the increasing costs.