THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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The sector is waiting for projects to be developed to ramp up the consumption of sheep and goat milk.
Türkiye Sheep and Goat Breeders’ Association (TÜDKİYEB) President Nihat Çelik stated that increased consumption of sheep and goat milk would have a positive impact on the sector, saying, “When milk producers cannot continue production, they are forced to send female animals to slaughter.”
Ankara…
Çelik made an assessment regarding milk consumption and production in the country to the Anatolian Agency (AA) on the occasion of ‘World Milk Day’ on 1 June.
Underlining that milk consumption in Türkiye is lower than in European Union countries, Çelik said, “It is necessary to enhance the consumption of milk, which is a basic food source. Programmes should be implemented to enhance milk consumption in our country. The importance of milk and dairy products, especially for childhood development, should be explained to encourage enhanced consumption.”
Çelik emphasised the importance of everyone, especially children, choosing sheep and goat milk, saying, “Sheep and goat milk, which is easy to digest, strengthens immunity, supports muscle development, and lowers cholesterol, should be consumed more, which will also have a positive impact on the sector. When milk producers cannot continue production, they are forced to send female animals to slaughter.”
“The sustainability of production depends on producers being able to sell their milk at a reasonable price”
Highlighting the need to increase milk production and consumption, Çelik said that the sustainability of production depends on producers being able to sell their milk at a reasonable price.
Indicating that citizens with low purchasing power have difficulty accessing milk and dairy products and that the necessary balance must be achieved so that neither side is disadvantaged, Çelik noted, “The ‘School Milk Project’ implemented between 2012 and 2019 for our children should be revived. Municipalities should be involved in milk-related processes. New projects should be developed to boost per capita milk consumption.”
On the other hand, pointing out that sheep and goat milk production has fluctuated over the past five years, Çelik added, “Last year saw a decline in both sheep and goat milk production compared to the previous year. During the period in question, goat milk production decreased by 11.2 percent to 482,247 tonnes, while sheep milk production decreased by 2.9 percent to 906,945 tonnes”.
