Farmers across Türkiye’s Central Anatolia region, the country’s breadbasket, are facing mounting challenges as prolonged dry weather delays planting and threatens crop yields, according to daily Milliyet.
Traditionally carried out in October, sowing has increasingly shifted into November due to hotter, rainless conditions. This year, with mid-November already passed, many fields remain unplanted as farmers wait for rainfall to begin.
Climate-related disruptions are being felt deeply in the fields. Last year, sowing of cereals and other crops extended into December, and this season preparations are again progressing slowly. Without rain, seeds already sown risk failing to germinate, while fertilizer applied to the soil may lose its effectiveness.
Experts warn that precipitation in the coming month will be critical: Timely rainfall could ensure crop emergence in planted fields and allow farmers who have yet to sow to proceed.
Central Anatolia accounts for 36 percent of Türkiye’s wheat acreage and 33 percent of total wheat production, making it vital for national food security. Yet nearly every province in the region is struggling with a lack of rainfall. While sowing is largely complete in some provinces, in Konya — the country’s largest wheat producer — only half of the fields have been planted. Farmers across the region are anxiously awaiting the first rains, which are essential for seed germination and for nutrients to penetrate the soil.
Yozgat Chamber of Agriculture Chairman İsmail Açıkgöz said the city has largely completed sowing but warned that the next month will be decisive. “If seeds fail to sprout, they rot; fertilizer is wasted and new costs arise. We are facing a serious water shortage and urgently need a rainy period,” he noted.
In Kırşehir, where about 70 percent of sowing has been completed, Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Çetin Gökalp stressed that yields will suffer without rain.
Professor Süleyman Soylu from Selçuk University Faculty of Agriculture underlined that sowing, once confined to October, now regularly extends into November, reflecting the impact of climate change.
He explained that dryland areas are waiting for rainfall to proceed, while irrigated lands are also being held back in hopes of natural precipitation.
Soylu added that farmers’ interest in cereals this season stems from two factors: Water scarcity discourages crops such as cotton and corn that require heavy irrigation and government support policies encourage alternating between water-intensive and less water-demanding crops.
“This is why barley, in particular, is expected to be favored this year,” he said.
