The crop condition from January to April 2017 was generally well below average in Turkey. Winter crops are grown during this period, and planting of summer crops started in April. Accumulated rainfall (RAIN, -22%) and temperature (TEMP, -0.5°C) were below average. Radiation (RADPAR, +3%) was above average. The unfavorable agroclimatic conditions resulted in a negative departure of BIOMSS of 11%. The VCIx (0.57) was poor and the cropped arable land fraction CALF decreased by as much as 28 percentage points compared to the recent five-year average.

Except in the eastern half of the country, where NDVI increases from the center to the east, the country as a whole experienced poor NDVI values. Most severely affected are several central areas in and around the provinces of Afyon, Ankara, Eskisehir, and Konya. The map of maximum VCI presents a pattern consistent with the NDVI cluster map. Combined with the very marked drop in cropped arable land, the situation can only be assessed as rather poor.

Figure 3.29. Turkey crop condition, January-April 2017

(a) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI                        (b) Maximum VCI

(c) Spatial NDVI patterns compared to 5YA                                                                          (d) NDVI profiles