Red meat prices hit hotels and doner shops after citizens.

The high prices of red meat hit not only citizens but also the service sector.

Reporting that meat sold in markets and butcher shops constitutes 40 percent of total consumption, the president of the Association of Red Meat Industrialists and Producers (ETBIR), Ahmet Yücesan, said: “Due to the price level, only the consumption of citizens decreased by 20 percent in the first 6 months of the year. There are also losses in the industrial part, which constitutes 30 percent of the total consumption”, he said.

“There is a 5 to 10 percent decrease in consumption on this side,” Yücesan said, saying, “Especially all-inclusive hotels in the tourism sector have turned to white meat because red meat is very expensive.”

Saying that this situation is also seen in companies that sell doner, Yücesan said, “The weight of chicken doner kebab in the market has increased by up to 60 percent this year. It was 10 percent when it first came out.”

140 PERCENT HIRING IN ONE YEAR, NEW HIRING IN SEPTEMBER

According to Yücesan, since 70 percent of the industry’s production inputs consisted of imported items, costs increased by 120 percent in one year. This increase in costs was reflected for citizens as an increase in the range of 120-140 percent.

Since some of the red meat sold at retail consists of imported meat, there is a significant difference in prices. Prices for minced meat and cubed meat are sold at around 270-280 lira for PERDER members, and 340-400 TL in other companies. The only thing they have in common is that they are up 140 percent over last year.

So will there be any new price activity after the holidays?

Noting that there will be no further increase in red meat after Eid al-Adha, Yücesan points to the months of September and October.

“Our main fear is September and October,” Yücesan said, adding: “With the opening of schools and the reactivation of the industry, there may be a new price increase in those months.”

CONSUMPTION SHOWS 50 PERCENT SINCE THE PANDEMIC

Stating that the contraction in consumption has continuously deepened since the pandemic, Yücesan said, “Red meat consumption has not recovered since 2019. Since that year, the total decline in consumption has reached 50 percent,” he said. .

Stating that he said this based on the data they received from ETBİR members in the field, Yücesan said, “When we asked the companies, there were 80 tons of sales out of 100 tons; It also dropped from 1,000 tons to 600 tons…” he said.

‘IF YOU LOOK AT TURKSTAT, THE CONSUMPTION PER PERSON SHOULD BE 20 KG’

While this is the situation in the countryside, Yücesan also drew attention to the increase in red meat production according to official data, saying, “According to TURKSTAT, red meat production in the country increased by 12.3 percent. in 2022. Based on these data, the annual consumption of red meat per capita should be 18-20 kilograms, but we cannot see this data in the field.