Turkey's grain production fell in 2014, official figures showed on Thursday, hit by the Middle East's driest weather in more than a decade, forcing the country to raise its grain imports. Wheat production was down by 13.8 percent to 19 million tonnes while barley production was at 6.3 million tonnes, down more than 20 percent from 2013, the Statistics Institute said.
Corn output was up slightly by 0.8 percent at 6 million tonnes. Turkey has seen food prices soaring this year, the main driver of a stubbornly high inflation, as a region-wide drought hit crop yields in several countries. Deputy Prime Minister Babacan said Turkey had had the driest summer in 154 years and both the drought and frost earlier in the year had limited supply and pushed up food prices.
Latest official figures for Turkey's wheat and barley imports are not yet available but European traders say state-grain agency TMO has regularly opened tenders due the country's drought-reduced harvest. The country imported just over 4 million tonnes of wheat last year, according to a TMO report.
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