ISTANBUL, TURKEY — Turkey is expected to harvest a record sunflower seed crop in marketing year 2022-23, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

With favorable weather conditions and an expansion in the area harvested, Turkey’s sunflower seed production is forecast to reach 1.9 million tonnes, the USDA said.

The report noted that sunflower meal and oil production also are projected at record highs.

The Russia-Ukraine war has affected Turkey’s sunflower seed imports, the report said. Imports for 2021-22 are estimated at 690,000 tonnes, down year-over-year as shipments from the Ukraine were disrupted because of its war with Russia.

“With limited volumes of Ukrainian sunflower seed, Turkey has compensated by importing more crude sunflower oil from Russia,” the USDA said.

The USDA forecasts sunflower seed imports to Turkey in 2022-23 at 1 million tonnes, assuming that the Ukrainian grain corridor remains open and fully operational.

In an agreement brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in late July, Russia withdrew its naval blockade of Ukraine’s southern ports, allowing shipment of agricultural products. The agreement allows for safe passage of ships through mid-November and the hope that the parties will extend the agreement into 2023.