Egg producers: We complain as much as the citizens about the increase in prices

This month, the problems of the egg sector were discussed at the “Sectors Speak on the Stock Exchange Square” meetings organized by the Istanbul Commodity Exchange (İSTİB).

According to the statement made by İSTİB, the meeting titled “The problems of the egg industry and suggestions for solutions” was held online, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry General Manager of Livestock Salih Çelik, President of the Central Union of Producers (YUM-BİR) İbrahim Afyon , Nevzat, President of Başmakçı Poultry Cooperative, Tezcan, President of Istanbul Association of Entrepreneurs and Wholesalers of Egg Producers (İSTYUMDER) and İSTİB Assembly Member, Necati Yıldırım, participated as speakers.

Ahmet Bülent Kasap, Chairman of the Istanbul Commodity Exchange Assembly, whose speech was delivered at the meeting in the statement, stated that the egg sector in Turkey shows great change with technological development day by day, saying: “Eggs, which are needed by individual consumers and the industry, are produced in giant, modern facilities. At present, pasteurized liquid eggs and processed egg products, in addition to shell eggs, have started to be produced in Turkey. Of course, this does not show that the egg industry is without problems. As in the rest of the world, there are constantly rising energy costs, new problems at every stage, from feed to production, from logistics to market shelves.

Salih Çelik, General Manager of Livestock at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, stated that support for the sector continues to be strong, saying: “Investment support, VAT reduction, electricity, food support and export policies are constantly growing the sector. I think the current price increase will stabilize soon. We have 77.5 million laying hens and a daily production of 52.3 million eggs. The industry is constantly evolving and will evolve. The effect of the last bird flu was also limited,” he said.

‘WE COMPLAIN ABOUT PRICE RISES’

İbrahim Afyon, President of the Egg Producers Center Union, made the following assessments:

“We complain about the rise in prices as much as the State and the citizens. Like everyone else, our goal is to make a reasonable profit for our efforts. The solution to imbalances in the price of eggs is controlled production. Our production is sufficient both for the domestic market and for export. However, the news of constant increases without seeing price drops create the perception that egg prices are excessively high and harm the sector. There is news about an increase of 10-15 times a year, but at the end of the year, the price of the egg is almost the same. Because price drops are not newsworthy.”

Nevzat Tezcan, director of the Başmakçı Poultry Cooperative, stated that the producer had not been able to make a profit for a year and a half before the latest price increase: “It was a difficult period. As a result, the lack of long-term profitability affected cattle, and egg prices began to rise. It will stabilize soon. There were no major animal losses due to bird flu. The effect of this development on prices is limited,” he said.

Necati Yıldırım, President of Istanbul Egg Producers Wholesalers and Entrepreneurs Association and İSTİB Council Member, also pointed to the issue of roaming chicken eggs and organic eggs, saying, “Thousands of organic eggs are sold in the Market shelves in every corner of Turkey. However, we know that there is no such amount of production. The consumer also has a responsibility in this regard. Citizens should be vigilant, check the certificates. Many times there is more organic and roaming chicken production on the market,” he said.