Turkey is increasing the duty on grain imports by 130%, which will negatively affect exports from Ukraine

The Turkish authorities have decided to increase the import duty on wheat, barley, corn, oats, rye and sorghum from 0% to 130% from May 1 in order to protect local agricultural producers from imported grain ahead of the new season.

Against the backdrop of blocking the operation of the grain corridor, this will be a new blow for Ukrainian farmers after the ban on the import of grain from Ukraine by neighboring EU countries. In the 1st quarter of 2023, Turkey purchased 18% of wheat and 42% of barley exported from Ukraine for a total amount of $220 million. Turkish importers bought grain through the Danube ports, which provided Ukraine with sea exports against the background of the blockade of the Black Sea ports.

In the current season, Turkey took the second place in the import of Russian wheat and the first place in the import of Russian barley, so the new duty will also limit the export of grain from the Russian Federation.

The European agency MARS predicts that the yield of barley and common wheat in Turkey will be average this year, and the yield will be lower than last year. Crops are now in satisfactory condition, although in the south-east of the country they have suffered somewhat from floods and earthquakes.

The conditions for the development of winter crops were generally favorable. In Anatolia, plant development was delayed due to February cold weather, but accelerated in March due to higher than normal temperatures. Currently, phenological development and biomass correspond to average indicators. The abundant rains that have passed since March 15 have significantly reduced the risks of crop loss due to the dry weather that prevailed in the country for several months.

In the southeast, crops were damaged by an earthquake in February and by floods caused by heavy rains in March. Despite this, winter crops are in good or satisfactory condition and continue to recover rapidly.

The harvest of grain crops in Turkey, thousand tons