While Türkiye In the run-up to the May 14 elections, the rise in the cost of living is one of the main topics of discussion. The Turkish economy has been in crisis for some time, the country is suffering from inflation, which currently stands at 50%.

At least that’s what the official data says. Because, according to the Independent Research Group on Inflation (ENAG), this figure reaches 112%, which indicates the distortion of data by the Turkish authorities. The Turkish lira is depreciating more and more against the euro: today the exchange rate is 1 euro to 21 pounds, while in 2014 it was 1 euro to 2.9 pounds.

When Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced his AKP party’s election platform on Wednesday (12/04), he promised to bring inflation back to single digits if re-elected, as well as “beat” food price volatility.

According to a study by the research center DISK-AR, over the past 20 years, food prices have increased by 1750%. Erdogan’s AKP has been in power for 21 years.

Türkiye ranks fifth in the world food inflation list with 69%. Only Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Argentina and Iran are ahead. According to the National Red Meat Council, minced meat has risen in price by more than 30% in the last month, while last year the increase was 147%.

For Turks, the crisis means not only that it is more difficult for them to go, for example, on vacation abroad. Many even find it difficult to buy groceries, which may affect the voter’s decision on May 14.

“The most important question for the elections”

“Food inflation will be the defining issue of the elections,” says Turkish political scientist Berk Esen of Istanbul’s Sabancı University. “Food inflation clearly weakens the government. For this reason alone, the government struggles to keep its base united. An important component of the AKP electorate is the lower middle class. And this is directly affected by food inflation,” Essen said in an interview with DW.

The average Turkish citizen can no longer afford dairy and meat products. Such products are not available to everyone, according to Semsi Bayraktar, president of the Turkish Federation of Geotechnical Chambers. Producers can no longer feed their animals due to higher animal feed prices, Bayraktar said in an interview with DW. “Due to rising costs and reduced supply, meat prices have risen. “It is difficult for the consumer to access meat and dairy products,” Bayraktar says.

During the pandemic, hotels and restaurants were closed. These are places where a lot of meat is consumed. “70% of meat products at that time could not be consumed, and these products were sold at very low prices,” said Ahmet Yutsezan, president of the Association of Meat Producers and Producers (ETBIR). Today, tourism and gastronomy are reviving again, and meat consumption has returned to its previous level. “But now, when there is not enough investment, domestic demand cannot be met. That’s why prices have been rising steadily for six months,” says Yucezan, who blames the government’s “wrong policies” and lack of planning during the pandemic for the rise in prices.

“The government just wants to spoil the situation”

Due to rising prices, the government decided to increase the import of livestock from abroad. The ESK Meat and Dairy Authority plans to import over half a million animals and 8,500 tons of processed meat, mostly from Latin America. Bülent Tunse, director of the Turkish Red Meat Producers Association TÜKETBIR, emphasizes that the producers are not against planned imports in principle, but rather against the lack of planning. The government, he said, is making conflicting decisions.

“Earlier, the minister said that they planned everything. That in three years they would stop importing forever. Then we invested accordingly. Hundreds, thousands of factories were built, many new companies were founded. And suddenly they say that more than 500,000 animals will be imported. us as producers. We are seeing the same scenario over and over again because of politicians who are focused on only making things worse,” said Tundes.

According to Turhan Cakar, president of the Consumer Rights Protection Fund, the situation is very serious, because “never before has food in Turkey been as expensive as it is today, and now the vast majority of consumers do not even have access to the basics, that’s all.”

Source: Deutsche Welle.