Turkey is poised to process an extra one million tons of grain from Russia and export it, Haluk Gedikoglu, a professor at Konya University who specializes in international agricultural economics, told TASS.
"Turkey possesses the requisite infrastructure and capacity to process an additional one million tons of grain from Russia, without causing undue strain on its existing production facilities. This processed grain can be turned into flour and subsequently exported to countries with demand," he explained, in response to Russia's proposal regarding increased grain exports.
"Turkey's annual grain production and processing capacity stands at approximately 27 million tons. In 2022, the country exported around 3 million tons of flour. Therefore, processing an additional one million tons of Russian wheat is well within our capabilities," Gedikoglu highlighted.
However, the interviewee expressed skepticism about Turkey's participation in this grain initiative without some form of approval from the United States. "Turkey's economy is highly vulnerable to crises that can be induced by the US. Ankara typically needs to seek US consent, unless this grain will solely serve its domestic needs. In other cases, coordination will be necessary. Given the current circumstances, I don't believe Ankara wants to engage in a conflict with Washington," Gedikoglu opined.
On August 31, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held discussions in Moscow regarding the grain deal. The Russian foreign ministry had previously noted that Lavrov and Fidan would focus on defining the parameters for the implementation of the initiative, which entails supplying 1 million tons of Russian grain to Turkey at a favorable price with financial support from Qatar for subsequent processing in Turkish facilities and distribution to countries in dire need.
The grain deal, which also encompasses the export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports and the normalization of Russian agricultural product and fertilizer exports to global markets, was suspended on July 17 due to Russia's obligations not being met. Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously stated that Moscow would be willing to rejoin the grain deal, contingent on the fulfillment of all commitments to Russia.
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Based on materials from TASS