Seed sowing postponed due to lack of rain

Emre Eser - ISTANBUL

Prolonged drought is having an increasingly negative impact on agricultural production in Türkiye, with dry days increasing and the soil becoming increasingly dry.

Nowadays, when the amount of water in the dams is approaching dangerous levels, the situation is different for the month of October, when the seeds meet the soil, but the lack of rain is preventing the seeds from being put into the soil.

Prof. Süleyman Soylu of Selçuk University's Faculty of Agriculture said that the farmers’ calendar has changed.

"There is a negative picture for farmers at the moment,” he said.

“The rainfall is far from what was expected. The forecasts are not very good either. Seventy-five percent of the grain area is located in dry agricultural regions. So, farmers who are going to plant in these areas are waiting for rain. However, October was dry this year.”

Soylu noted that with the continuation of rain-free days, grain sowing activities could be postponed until late November or even early December in some regions.

"Our farmers can sow grain in these months, we still have time,” he said.

“However, if the sowing period moves forward, the harvest period does not move forward. There is the development process of the plant. In general, it is very important to complete the sowing activities in these days for a high and efficient yield. We should think of this process as a marathon. If farmers sow at this time, the plants will go into the winter strong and come out strong. It is also possible to experience yield loss in cereals if planted late.”

The rains that hit most of Türkiye in May and June also disrupted farmers' calendars during the harvest season. In Central and Eastern Anatolia, the wheat harvest was delayed by more than two weeks. Prolonged rains in some regions and sudden and heavy rains in others affected the timing, yield and quality of crops such as barley and wheat. Yields exceeded expectations in some regions.