Turkey completes winter cereal and legume harvest

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the harvest of winter cereals and legumes in Turkey was successfully completed across the country in August. While spring rains helped prevent mass agricultural drought, high summer temperatures and regional rainfall shortages are expected to cause yield losses for dry-seeded crops in parts of Central Anatolia, including Kırıkkale, Aksaray, and Yozgat, as well as certain areas of Marmara like Kırklareli.

Climate data indicates that August precipitation averaged 16.2 mm, a 10 percent increase over normal levels and a more than 100 percent increase compared to the same month last year. The 11-month water year precipitation reached its highest level in 66 years. The average temperature for August was 25.7 degrees Celsius, which is 0.6 degrees above the 1991-2020 norms.

Ongoing activities include the maturation and maintenance of corn, cotton, sunflower, rice, sugar beet, and orchards. Although no mass epidemics were reported, various regional pests and diseases were noted, such as brown marmorated stink bugs in hazelnut areas, olive flies in the Aegean and Mediterranean, and wheat rust in Eastern Anatolia.