With the drought, hope has also dried up
As the wheat harvest comes to an end, farmers are once again facing a difficult situation due to both drought and high input costs. Agricultural writer Kutlu said, ‘Unfortunately, the bill for the economic crisis is once again being footed by our farmers.’
At the end of the harvest, wheat farmers were once again unable to smile. Inflation, rising input prices and drought increased farmers' costs while reducing yields. This year, farmers suffered serious yield losses and lost money due to both lower yields and low purchase prices.
Wheat, which is widely produced in the Central Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia regions, is grown in dry farming areas in 78% of the total area. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service, due to the dry weather conditions that persisted throughout the growing season, Turkey's wheat production for the 2025/26 production year is estimated to decrease by 15% compared to the previous year, reaching approximately 16.3 million tonnes.
Despite the expected significant yield losses this year, wheat production areas have virtually disappeared in recent years. Over the past 30 years, wheat cultivation areas have decreased by 30%. During this period, the country's population increased by 50%. The amount of wheat per capita has dropped from 300 kilograms to 200 kilograms. Turkey now imports more than half of the wheat it produces. Between 2003 and 2024, wheat imports reached record levels, with 107 million tonnes imported at a cost of 29.5 billion dollars.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's projections also included import expectations. The report estimated wheat consumption for the 2025/26 season at 19.4 million tonnes, with wheat imports projected at approximately 10.3 million tonnes.
Agricultural writer Gazi Kutlu noted that the first year of planning saw a sharp decline. ‘The first two years of the second century of our Republic have been quite difficult for our farmers,’ said Kutlu. "In our country, which is the homeland of wheat, production has remained at around 20 million tonnes on average over the past 40 years, despite population growth. This year, despite being the first year of planned production, the targeted wheat production volume has not been announced. However, it is clear that crop losses are inevitable due to the drought."
Noting that an import record could be set, Kutlu said, "As in previous years, production was insufficient to meet both domestic demand and exports of products such as flour, pasta, biscuits and semolina, which led to import highs. It is likely that we will set a new import high this year as well. Part of the imported wheat will be used in export products, while the rest will remain in the domestic market.”
INPUT PRICES SKYROCKETED
Kutlu pointed out that this situation is even more difficult for farmers, saying, "According to Turkish Statistical Institute data, agricultural input prices rose by more than 30% annually, while the purchase price of wheat was increased from 11 lira to 13.5 lira. In other words, the increase rate remained at 22%.
Unfortunately, the bill for the economic crisis is once again being footed by our farmers,‘ he said.
’There is a very clear fact,‘ said Kutlu. ‘We cannot move forward with the current policies on agricultural production. The time has come to take new steps to keep farmers on their feet, increase production and reduce dependence on foreign countries.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Kuraklıkla birlikte umut da kurudu, published in BirGün newspaper on August 11, 2025.
