Turkey is expecting to produce 2.38 million tons of cotton this season, which is an increase of 2.6 percent compared to last year’s production, which was 2.32 million tons, according to Turkey Union of Chambers of Agriculture (TZOB).



According to a statement issued by TZOB, chairman Shams Bayraktar said despite the increase in production of cotton compared to last year, it still falls short of the textile industry’s requirement in the country.



In 2012, Turkey spent around US$ 2.5 billion on imports of cotton, and the country was the second largest importer of cotton in the world, after China, he added.



Mr. Bayraktar said during the cotton harvest period of 1995 to 2012, overall production of cotton saw an increase of 61.6 percent, whereas production of ginned cotton increased by 56.4 percent in the country.



During the same period, cotton acreage fell from 7.56 million hectares to 4.9 million hectares indicating a decline of 35.4 percent, he added.



According to the statement, cotton production decreased by 10.1 percent to 2.32 million tons in 2012, compared to the production in 2011, which was 2.58 million tons.� The expected cotton production for the current year still remains behind the production achieved in the year of 2011.



Mr. Bayraktar said cotton is a strategic product for Turkey, as millions of temporary workers, employers, dealers, and transport employees in the country are dependent on cotton to make a living.