In Istanbul, sunflower harvest is forecast to increase by 25 percent.

Last season, 44,000 tons of sunflower were harvested in Istanbul. The main sowing areas are concentrated in the Silivri, Çatalca, Arnavutköy, and Büyükçekmece districts, which are located on the European outskirts of the city, bordering the Thrace region.

Local farmers, such as 35-year-old Emre Uysal from the village of Bahşayiş in Çatalca and hereditary farmer Korkut Arıkan, note the peculiarities of the production cycle. Emre Uysal practices annual crop rotation of sunflower and wheat, selling his products to local traders, agricultural credit cooperatives, and the regional union "Trakya Birlik." Korkut Arıkan, who has been engaged in agriculture for 40 years, explains that the wheat growing cycle takes nine months, while sunflower is sown in May and harvested in mid-September.

To support production and reduce the country's dependence on vegetable oil imports, government agencies provide subsidies for seed to farmers. Thus, Emre Uysal and Korkut Arıkan took advantage of a grant program from the Çatalca District Directorate of Agriculture, which covers 75 percent of the seed cost. These measures are aimed at stimulating the expansion of sunflower areas throughout the Marmara region, as this crop is the main source of edible oil in Turkey.