Investigation of production and marketing structure of zerun wheat in Sivas province

Zerun wheat is the most widely cultivated landrace in Sivas province. It is primarily utilized for the production of bulgur and bread, which are highly valued and widely consumed in the region. This study was carried to investigate the production and marketing structure of Zerun wheat in Sivas province. The research involved a face-to-face survey conducted with 50 farmers engaged in Zerun wheat cultivation across five districts of Sivas province (Center, Ulaş, Altınyayla, Kangal and Gürün) during the 2021-2022 production season. According to the survey results; the average age of the producers was 51,9. Among them, 46% had completed primary school education and 78% resided in the village. The farmers reported an average of 40,6 years of farming and wheat production experience and all had prior experience in cultivating commercial wheat varietes. Zerun wheat was cultivated in an avarage of 2,3 plots, corresponding to mean planting area of 26,4 decares. The area allocated to Zerun wheat accounted for 4,9% of the total cultivated lands and 11,4% of the total wheat-cultivated lands in the surveyed region. The utilization of Zerun wheat was distributed as follows: 42,6% was sold as grain, 17,4% as bulgur, 14,3% was reserved for household consumption, 13,8% was set aside for seed purposes and 11,6% was sold as seed. Farmers cited the suitability of Zerun wheat for family consumption and its superior quality in bulgur production as the primary motivations for its cultivation. However, the production of Zerun wheat is constrained by its relatively low yield and susceptibility to lodging. Given these limitations, it is recommended that Zerun wheat be cultivated in marginal areas characterized by low agricultural potential and grain yields below the regional average for commercial wheat varieties.