TURKEY (1 June)
The outlook for the 2005 wheat crop, for harvest from July, has somewhat been dampened by the intermittent drought conditions that prevailed in central and south-eastern parts of the country during last winter. In the major winter wheat and barley production areas of the country, the cold inland climate had affected developing crops.
The 2005 wheat crop is provisionally forecast at 19.7 million tonnes, about 5 percent below the previous year. Production of wheat in 2004, estimated at 20.7 million tonnes, was slightly above the average of the previous five years. Output of coarse grains (mostly barley and maize) in 2005, forecast at 11.5 million tonnes, is slightly above the previous year and about 7 percent above average. Paddy production in 2004 is estimated at 400 000 tonnes about 7 percent above the previous year and 12 percent above average.
Wheat imports in 2004/05 (July/June) are forecast at 600 000 tonnes compared with 1.2 million tonnes for the previous year. Maize imports are forecast at about 800 000 tonnes compared to 1 million tonnes the previous year.