Will meat prices continue to rise?

Sencer Solakoğlu, President of All Dairy, Meat and Cattle Breeders’ Association (TÜSEDAD), attended the show in Söz Tarım, hosted by Ali Ekber Yıldırım and Merve Ekinci, broadcast by SÖZCÜ Television.

The effects of the crisis on the meat and milk sector were also discussed in the program, in which the damage caused by the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, which occurred on February 6, to livestock farming was discussed.

Stating that the crisis created by producers, who constantly have losses per liter to slaughter their milk-producing cows, decreases the number of animals in Turkey day by day and this increases prices, Solakoğlu summed up the latest point reached by the animal husbandry as follows:

“There is no economic reason left for the producer to have cattle. When you slaughter an animal, it’s best to put the money you receive in currency-protected deposits and sit down. You have a loss when you produce.”

AVAILABILITY OF ANIMALS DECREASES, MEAT PRICES RISE

Agriculture expert Ali Ekber Yıldırım, explaining that Turkey’s animal population has decreased due to the slaughter of dairy cows, said that according to TUIK data, the animal population in the country decreased by 5.7 percent last year. , while the cattle population decreased from 18 million to 17 million.

Underlining that the decline in these numbers is actually much larger than the TUIK data, Solakoğlu said that they warned that this would result in higher consumer prices, but they were not taken into account.

“The number of animals has decreased, this business is getting very bad, and we said that prices will go up abnormally on the day that dairy cows stop slaughtering,” Solakoğlu said, saying the following about the price level:

‘MOICE PRICES WILL INCREASE TO 400 TL’

“Prices for meat with bones increased from 100-120 lira to 180 lira; It exceeds 200 lira and is close to 300 lira.

The weight of the ground meat is already around 300 lire. At the next threshold, 320 TL, 350 TL and 370 TL will have to go up to 400 TL.”

‘THERE IS STILL NO POLICY TO PROMOTE PRODUCTION’

Stating that one of the biggest mistakes made is lowering milk prices while the dairy farmer continues to make losses per liter, Solakoğlu said, “They are aware of the increase in meat prices, but I think the logic of ‘we can suppress it until the election is behind it. This really means the end point for animal husbandry,” he said.

“A policy to support and encourage production has not yet been announced, and imports are trying to suppress prices,” Solakoğlu said, continuing:

“In our one-on-one meetings with the producers, we hear ‘damn, I’m not doing this job, I better stay in town.’

The producers we talk to one on one say ‘damn I’m not doing this job anymore’ and walk away. “It’s better to live in the village,” he says. In fact, when you slaughter an animal today, it’s best to put the money you receive into a coin-protected repository. You have a loss when you produce.”

‘THEY SOLD ANIMALS IN THE FIRST DAYS OF THE EARTHQUAKE’

Referring to the damage caused by the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Solakoğlu also gave the following information:

“The destruction caused by the earthquake led to serious injuries and deaths of animals. The producers could not leave their animals and flee. In the early periods, we had people give up their animals to some opportunistic traders and run away. The Meat and Milk Institution (ESK) quickly intervened, but… They organized this situation.

But there are many farmers, and these people are always alone, alone with their own destiny.”

Ali Ekber Yıldırım also drew attention to a similar problem, saying that people in the region were given feed for their animals, but farmers in the villages complained that such feed was not reaching them due to the absence of an organization. to distribute them.