Turkey produced around 2.25 million tons of raw cotton during last year, as per the data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK).
According to the crop production data released by TUIK, during last year, cotton growers in the country sowed cotton on 4.50 million hectares and produced around 2.25 million tons of cotton, which is a decline compared to the cotton produced in the country during 2012.
As per the TUIK data, during 2012, Turkish cotton farmers harvested cotton on 4.88 million hectares of land, and produced 2.32 million tons of cotton.
The TUIK data also states that the area planted for cotton in the country has been decreasing over the years. As per the data, cotton was planted on 5.42 million hectares in the country during 2011, whereas in 2012 the area sown for cotton declined to 4.88 million hectares and further to 4.50 million hectares in 2013.
According to a statement issued by the Turkish Union of Chamber of Agriculture (TZOB), the decrease in cotton production in the country is due to the decline in the area planted for cotton, which has been decreasing continuously owing to the challenges faced by producers during the harvesting period.
TZOB chairman Shams Bayraktar said that the area planted for cotton in the country has been declining continuously, however, the demand for cotton has been rising, owing to the development in the domestic textile industry.
Cotton imports in the country have been increasing due to the rise in demand for raw materials by the textile sector of Turkey, he added.
As per TZOB, during 2012, Turkey imported around 613,000 tons of cotton, which is a rise of 442.5 percent, compared to the 113,000 tons of cotton imported in 1995.