The budget is not based on the purchase of grains.

Although seasonal vegetables and fruits reach the positions with record increases, the budget is not enough for food expenses. The onion, which is the main product of the kitchen, broke the record of increase with 22.42 percent in March and the price record with a reference price of 30 TL. While the price of an onion in the market amounts to 7.25 TL, summer vegetables and fruits are also on the counter with exorbitant price hikes.

MY SLICE IS TAKING A SLICE

While watermelon, one of the must-have vegetables of summer, slowly entered stalls, it sold for TL30 per kilogram and TL51 for its 1.5-kilogram slice. While the price of a kilogram of imported bananas is 40 TL, the citizen who cannot afford to buy a kilogram can buy a banana for 8 TL. Hilmi Ekinci, a market trader in Bayrampaşa, said: “50 kilos of watermelons arrived today, I opened the counter with 4 watermelons, but I sell them in pieces. We cut the slice of watermelon so that it corresponds to 1.5 kilograms and we sell it for 51 liras. My language is preferred more,” he said.

The record is in the onions.

According to March data from the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, the highest price increase was recorded for Istanbul onions in March compared to the previous month. While onion rose 22.42 percent, it was followed by green beans with 18.55 percent, beef with 17.99 percent and fish with 16.63 percent. The one-month price increase for bananas was 6.34 percent and for potatoes 5.44 percent. The price of meals away from home increased by 8.46 percent and that of eggs by 7.81 percent.