Agricultural yields of various fruits, vegetables and nuts plummeted last month, largely due to frost experienced in March in several regions of Turkey.

According to a statement released on Sunday by Turkish Union of Agricultural Chambers (TZOB) President Şemsi Bayraktar, higher than expected temperatures and drought in the months of January and February resulted in the early blooming of fruit trees, rendering them more sensitive to frosts that occurred in March.

Droughts also drastically affected water reservoirs nationwide, according to Turkish news outlets, which reported yesterday that reservoirs in İstanbul and Ankara were at just over one-third of their capacity.

Central and eastern Anatolia and the Black Sea regions were particularly affected by frost in March, according to Bayraktar. Fields growing hazelnuts, apricots, apples, cherries, plums, peaches, kiwis, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, watermelons and grapes were all negatively impacted.

Bayraktar added that grain crops in the provinces of Konya, Ankara, Çankırı, Kırıkkale, Yozgat and Nevşehir experienced yellowing, while beet and sunflower fields in the province of Aksaray were also harmed by frosts. Agricultural yields of several fruits in the province of İsparta decreased by between 60-70 percent. The province of Malatya, known for producing 80 percent of the world's apricots, experienced significant crop damage due to the frosts.

The Black Sea region, particularly the provinces of Ordu, Trabzon and Giresun, were hit the hardest according to Bayraktar, who said that between 70-80 percent of hazelnut and kiwi crop output was lost due to frosty conditions. The Black Sea region produces three-quarters of the world's hazelnuts.

Market experts predict that the prices of produce affected by frost will increase by at least 25 percent, with hazelnut prices forecast to reach record levels.

Source - http://www.todayszaman.com/