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Press release…
Ankara – August 24, 2020
Union of Turkish Agricultural Chambers (TZOB) Chairman Şemsi Bayraktar said that increases of input costs, especially in feed prices, have put dairy farmers into a difficult position.
Bayraktar said, “Milk prices should be increased immediately, the lowest price of the producer should be 2 lira 80 kurush.”
Bayraktar pointed out that raw milk prices are determined by the National Milk Council (USK). As of November 15, 2019, raw milk prices were determined as gross 2 lira 30 kuruş.
Reminding that this price was fixed until December 2020 at the meeting held later, Bayraktar reported that as of today, producers receive 2 lira 13 kurush.
Stating that it is unacceptable for producer prices to remain constant in an environment where the increases in foreign currency-related input costs cannot be controlled, Bayraktar said, “The National Milk Council should come together to set a new price as soon as possible.”
Underlining that although the milk price is stable, feed prices are constantly increasing, Bayraktar explained:
“While raw milk prices were fixed at gross 2 lira 30 kuruş for 14 months, feed prices rose by 15.4 percent, straw by 12.9 percent, maize silage by 21.1 percent and alfalfa by 15.2 percent between these dates. These increases in costs clearly show that our producers are in a difficult situation.
Our producer, who sells 1 litre of raw milk, should be able to receive 1.5 kilograms of feed in return and for this, the lowest milk price of the producer should be 2 lira 80 kurush.”
Bayraktar continued as follows; “While determining the prices, the increases in feed should be taken into account, the price should be determined according to 1.5 parity or measures to stop the cost increases should be implemented. A system that cannot control the rises in input prices but fixes producer prices for a long time harms the country’s livestock and our producers. If a solution to this problem is not found, our producers will be cut off from production and animals will go to slaughter.”
“Raw milk prices are low in Turkey”
Indicating that Turkish dairy farmers sell their raw milk at lower prices than that of producers in other countries, Bayraktar cited, “As of July 2020, when we look at the raw milk prices in different countries, it can be observed that the lowest raw milk prices in Turkey after the low-cost producing countries such as Argentina and Uruguay where animal husbandry based on the pasture.”
“When the raw milk prices in the European Union countries are compared with the prices in our country, 100 litres of milk is sold for an average of 32.50 Euros in EU countries and 27.24 Euros in Turkey. Our dairy producers are in such a position that they sell at the lowest price after Latvia and Lithuania. If there is no solution to the price problem, the milk producers and the future of the dairy sector will severely suffer.”
