Turkish Pulse Crops Under Pressure

VANCOUVER - Jun 2/08 - SNS -- Pulse production in Turkey occurs in the part of the country which is experiencing drought this year, with the result Turkish traders are looking at significant declines in output of red lentils and chickpeas from last year.

This theme is also present in the latest report on the Turkish pulse sector from the U.S. agricultural attache for the country, who notes that crop prospects for grain and feed are much better than for pulses because of the different regions in which they are grown.

Turkey is projected to have relatively normal yields for grain and feed production in 2008, notes the U.S. agricultural attache, except in Southeastern Anatolia, provided weather conditions remain normal through the harvest season. In Southeastern Anatolia precipitation has been about half of normal levels and farmers there are facing very poor crops. 2008 production of wheat, barley, corn, rice and chickpeas all are projected to be higher than in 2007, which was badly affected by the drought, but still below average.

On the other hand, lentil production is projected to decline because most of the red lentils are grown in Southeastern Anatolia. However since the most significant factor for Turkish grain production is the rainfall in April and May, if the Central Anatolian region receives normal rains in the spring Turkey's grain production should approach normal levels. Otherwise, Turkish grain production will likely be lower than normal once again.

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