Konya Plain Expands Sunflower Production

Konya, one of Turkey's sunflower seed production centers, has become a region where farmers are focusing on producing snack sunflower seeds, considering price performance.

Professor Dr. Süleyman Soylu from the Selçuk University Faculty of Agriculture highlighted Konya’s significance as an agricultural powerhouse, with approximately 2 million hectares of farmland. According to Soylu, while corn and sugar beets are the primary crops, snack sunflower seeds have become a popular choice among local farmers. This shift is driven by the high market price of snack sunflower seeds and the impressive yields achievable per unit area, which are comparable to those of oilseed sunflowers. Soylu noted that in Konya, sunflower farming is typically conducted under irrigation, yielding between 400 to 550 kilograms per hectare. Farmers are now achieving similar yields with snack sunflower seeds.

Bekir Kağnıcıoğlu, President of the Altınekin Chamber of Agriculture, added that the area planted with seeds in the Konya Plain is expanding annually. The demand for snack sunflower seeds has become a key factor influencing both price and yield in the region.