THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Feed manufacturers expect 7 million tonnes of corn production this year…
Ülkü Karakuş, Chair of the Turkish Feed Manufacturers’ Association (TÜRKİYEM-BİR), stated that they foresee around 7 million tonnes of corn production this year.
Ankara…
Ülkü Karakuş, Chair of the Turkish Feed Manufacturers’ Association (TÜRKİYEM-BİR), told an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter that the maize harvest has begun, noting that Türkiye currently produces approximately 35-40 million tonnes of grain, with maize accounting for 8 million tonnes of this amount annually.
Karakuş also shared his production forecast for this year, saying, “We foresee around 7 million tonnes of maize production this year.”
Karakuş reminded the General Directorate of Turkish Grain Board (TMO) that the grain purchase price per tonne was 13,500 lira for durum and bread wheat and 11,000 lira for barley. “I don’t expect a price announcement for maize. However, traditionally, the maize price is higher than the barley price,” he said.
Indicating that they evaluated maize production figures for the period from September to the same month of the previous year, he explained, “According to Türkiye’s official statistics, there was 8 million tonnes of maize production. It became clear that current maize production would not be sufficient. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the private sector jointly decided to implement a tariff quota. Approximately 3.5 million tonnes of maize arrived in Türkiye between October 2024 and May 2025.”
“There is no demand problem for maize.”
Karakuş emphasized that there is no demand problem for maize, stating that the market must be regulated at reasonable prices and that exorbitant prices must be prevented to meet the inflation target within the framework of macroeconomic forecasts.
Pointing out that, as with all grain production, maize production has declined, he noted, “Drought and the climate crisis are among the primary reasons. Although this varies by region, there has been an average crop loss of 15-20 percent. Temperatures will rise even more next year. In this context, we will continue to import maize next year. The implementation of tariff quotas is a sound practice. It would be beneficial if this quota were regularly allocated to the private sector and continued into the 2025-2026 season.”
“The importance of the TMO to the sector is quite high, this institution controls the market with the prices it sets and acts as a regulator,” he concluded…
