Drought has reduced the sunflower yield by more than 50%

As sunflower harvesting begins in Çukurova, it has been reported that the yield has dropped by more than 50% due to drought.

In Adana’s Kozan district, extreme heat caused the sunflower harvest to start a month earlier. Agricultural Engineer and producer Barış Kurtaran explained that the excessive heat in May accelerated the maturation of the sunflowers, which had adverse effects. Kurtaran stated that the yield has decreased by more than 50% due to drought, noting, 'May was very dry and hot. The sunflower harvest started a month earlier due to the extreme heat. However, while the yield was normally 350-400 kilograms per decare, it has dropped to 200 kilograms in most fields and even below 200 kilograms in some fields.'

Kurtaran pointed out that some fields have yielded as little as 40 or 80 kilograms, which indicates that the average yield in Çukurova will remain around 180 kilograms. He added, 'The extreme heat during the flowering period significantly affected the sunflowers. There was sudden withering of the lower leaves, which hindered the development of the sunflowers. Another issue is the oil content of the sunflowers. Due to the drought this year, the oil content of the sunflowers has also fallen below the normal level.'