Turkey's cotton output likely to be 900,000 MT

25 May '06

3 min read

Report Highlights:
MY 2006 cotton area and production are estimated at 700,000 hectares and 900,000 MT, up about twenty percent from MY 2005. Farmers who were upset with returns in corn reportedly switched to cotton.

Domestic consumption is expected to decline about six percent in MY 2005 due to increased competition from China in the international markets.

Total cotton imports were 388,000 MT during the first seven months of MY 2005 with the U.S. supplying 218,000 MT. Imports are expected to reach 680,000 MT by the end of the marketing year compared to 724,000 MT last year.

Executive Summary
MY 2006 cotton area and production are projected at about 700,000 hectares and 900,000 MT, up about twenty percent compared to last year. Farmers' dissatisfaction with return of alternative crops such as corn played a major role in increase of cotton planting.

Turkish farmers are also in search of ways to make cotton planting feasible and to be able to compete with the imported cotton. Total number of cotton harvesters will double compared to last marketing year and expected to reach 260 in MY 2006, which will lessen the dependence on hand picking and decrease costs.

Cotton production is continuing to increase gradually in the Southeast Anatolian (GAP) region due to an increase in irrigated land. However, expansion of the irrigation network in the GAP has been very slow due to a lack of funds.

Average annual expansion during the last five years was only about 10,000 hectares, while the total target area that remains to be irrigated is over 1 million hectares. In all other regions, cotton production is continuing to fluctuate in accordance with the return on alternative crops.

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