by Burak Akinci
ANKARA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- "In Ramadan, our meals have now become meatless," said Firuze Tanil, a Turkish pensioner who visited a butcher shop in Ankara to buy some ground meat for her grandchild.
The prices of red and white meat have soared in Türkiye amid runaway inflation, despite the government's efforts to mitigate its impact on consumers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
"Many people are getting poorer and cannot afford meat for fast-breaking meals," Tanil said at a shop in the Balgat neighborhood of Türkiye's capital city, Ankara.
In Tanil's household, her 5-year-old grandson is the only regular consumer of meat amid economic strains, said Tanil, an accountant before her retirement.
"Our purchasing power has dropped dramatically for every food item over the past year due to rampant inflation," Tanil added.
Official data released in early March revealed that the annual food inflation rate soared to 71 percent this month, higher than the year-on-year consumer price increases, which climbed to 67.1 percent.
Statistics provided by workers' unions put the figures even higher. Research carried out in March by the United Public-Business Confederation revealed a staggering 112 percent increase in meat prices in a year, marking the most significant surge among all food products.
According to official statistics published in late January, 39.2 percent of Türkiye's population could no longer afford a meal containing meat every other day.
Analysts have attributed high meat prices to structural problems, including inadequate planning in agricultural and livestock farming, discrepancies between producer and retail prices, and restrictions on the import of animals.
Fazli Yalcindag, the head of Ankara's Chamber of Butchers, attributed the price increase to the rising cost of feed and volatility in the foreign exchange market.
"Many farmers are culling their cattle because milk prices are low and meat prices are high. Therefore, cows are sent to the slaughterhouses, and the production cycle ends," he said, adding that many households have removed meat from their tables due to soaring prices.
"Meat prices seem to climb higher with each passing day," said Volkan Aktas, a teacher and father of three children who was shopping at Yalcindag's shop in Ankara.
"To address this issue, instead of eating out, we are strictly eating in our house. This is the way we cope with high prices," he said.
In addition to consumers, the rising prices of meat have posed a significant challenge for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, particularly in the lead-up to the local elections scheduled for Sunday.
Ahead of Ramadan, the Turkish leader ordered state authorities to crack down on profiteers and hoarders during Ramadan.
Local media reported that people are lining up at state-run Meat and Milk Board stores during Ramadan to purchase affordable meat. The firm offers meat at nearly half the price of supermarkets and butcher shops.
Moreover, special stores in the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality also offer meat at discounted prices during Ramadan.
Ali Ekber Yildirim, a journalist and author specializing in the agricultural industry, said meat prices would likely increase at the inflation rate.
In a video blog published last week, Yildirim predicted that supply and demand would remain imbalanced for at least two to three years. Thereby, meat prices will remain high during the same period. ■
