In a written statement, İzmir Commodity Exchange (İTB) Board Chair Işınsu Kestelli announced that additional field surveys were conducted across the Aegean region in November to assess the extent of rainfall-related disruptions to the cotton harvest and to evaluate the impact of extreme weather conditions on producers.
Kestelli explained that efforts to determine cotton cultivation areas and estimate production volumes were coordinated by İTB in cooperation with the İzmir Chamber of Commerce, Aegean Exporters’ Associations, the commodity exchanges of Manisa, Aydın and Söke, Tariş Cotton and Oil Seeds Union, and Ege University’s Faculty of Agriculture. She recalled that at a meeting on 8 October 2025, the Aegean’s expected cotton output had been announced at 160,000 tonnes.
“Based on consultations with producers, ginning plants and other regional stakeholders, as well as comprehensive field inspections, we identified significant yield and quality losses caused by rainfall during the harvest period,” Kestelli said. “Before the rains, only around 15% of the harvest had been completed. The remaining 85% was adversely affected.”
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Quality Losses Following Rainfall
According to Kestelli, heavy rainfall raised soil moisture levels and severely disrupted field conditions essential for harvesting. Cotton picked immediately after the rainfall showed noticeable quality deterioration, while additional yield losses occurred due to storage challenges in warehouses impacted by rainwater.
“As a result of all assessments conducted—though impacts vary depending on local rainfall intensity—we estimate that Aegean cotton production for the 2025–2026 season will fall short of earlier expectations by approximately 10% to 15%,” she concluded.
