THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Ahmet Hacıince, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Red Meat Council (UKON), said that this excessive hike in the purchase prices of fattening material has caused the cost of fattening to increase by 95 percent annually.; an urgent action plan should be put forward to reduce the prices of fattening material cattle.
UKON Chairman Ahmet Hacıince, who evaluated the red meat sector in detail during Ramadan, said: “The main reason for the high prices today is the high cost of production. Under the high production cost lies the increase in the prices of young male cattle to be used in fattening. This excessive increase in the purchase prices of fattening material has caused the cost of fattening to raise by 95 percent annually. As a solution, an urgent action plan should be put forward to reduce the prices of cattle for fattening material.”
“Since 75 percent of the red meat consumption in our country is beef, I would like to analyse this issue especially through beef. According to the official figures of our Council; the price of carcass beef was 175.68 TL / KG in the last week of February of last year, 2023. When we came to the same period of 2024, it was seen that the price of carcass beef soared by 85 percent to 324.98 TL / kg. Looking at the annual price hike rate, it is seen that the price increase in carcass beef is in line with the annual inflation and the rate of increase in other foodstuffs. The main point to be emphasised is the relationship between the cost price and the selling price,” he explained.
Pointing out that according to the latest official data we have published, the inflation-adjusted cost of carcass beef is 319 TL/KG, while the market selling price is 325 TL/KG, he added, “As can be seen, the selling price and cost price of carcass beef are almost equal. Yes, it is true. Red meat prices are really high according to the purchasing power of our consumers. The high prices of carcass meat negatively affect the meat consumption of our citizens with middle and low income levels.”
“This situation may cause malnutrition especially in the young generation. In addition, this situation causes the sales of butcher shopkeepers to decrease, accordingly, the operating expenses are placed on the products sold in small quantities and the prices of meat products rise even higher. As the prices of carcass meat rise, the gap between the prices on the butcher’s counter and the price of carcass meat widens even more, the butcher’s shopkeepers receive unfair criticism and many of them close their shutters,” he concluded…
