A Turkish official said on Wednesday that his country will not be affected by wheat supply problems as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian tension, stressing that Turkey is self-sufficient in wheat.
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Ozkan Taşpinar, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Grain Board, said in a statement that the world’s production of wheat last year amounted to 770 million tons.
He pointed out that Russia’s share of world wheat production amounted to 20 percent, while Turkey’s share was 3.3 percent.
He added, “Turkey is a country that is self-sufficient in wheat. The average need for the local market is 20 million tons, and this quantity is produced locally.”
He continued, “Therefore, the Russian-Ukrainian tension does not cause any problems in the supply of wheat to the local market in Turkey.”
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Tashpinar stated that Turkey imported 9 million tons of wheat last year, pointing out that 65 percent of the mentioned quantity was purchased from Russia and 15 percent from Ukraine.
On Monday evening, Russia officially recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk regions from Ukraine, which were under the control of pro-Moscow separatists, amid widespread international rejection.
Western countries considered Moscow’s recognition of the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk “the actual beginning of the Russian war against Ukraine”, and began to impose economic sanctions on Russia.
