STORY: Turks shrink Ramadan menus amid soaring meat prices
SHOOTING TIME: March 26, 2024
DATELINE: March 27, 2024
LENGTH: 0:03:51
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of a butcher 
2. various of Turkish people buying cheap meat in a discount market
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): FIRUZE TANIL, Retired accountant
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): VOLKAN AKTAS, Teacher
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): FAZLI YALCINDAG, Head of Ankara's Chamber of Butchers

STORYLINE:

The prices of red and white meat have soared in Türkiye amid runaway inflation, despite the government's efforts to mitigate its impact on consumers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"In Ramadan, our meals have now become meatless," said Firuze Tanil, a Turkish pensioner who visited a butcher shop in Ankara to buy some ground meat for her grandchild.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): FIRUZE TANIL, Retired accountant
"I only buy meat for my 5-year-old grandchild so that his physical and mental health would not get affected, because he needs protein. We only can buy one kilogram of ground meat. Our purchasing power has dropped dramatically, for every food item. The people are getting poorer and cannot afford to buy meat for fast-breaking meals. There is a lack of protein consumption in our country, especially in children. Even though we would be considered middle class, we are witnessing woes, and what about people who are trying to make ends meet with a minimum wage?"

SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): VOLKAN AKTAS, Teacher
"Meat prices have significantly increased in the last year. It's really difficult to purchase meat nowadays, but we prefer to squeeze our budget to buy some for our three children."

Official data released in early March revealed that the annual food inflation rate soared to 71 percent this month, higher than the year-on-year consumer price increases, which climbed to 67.1 percent.

According to official statistics published in late January, 39.2 percent of Türkiye's population could no longer afford a meal containing meat every other day.
   
Analysts have attributed high meat prices to structural problems, including inadequate planning in agricultural and livestock farming, discrepancies between producer and retail prices, and restrictions on the import of animals.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): FAZLI YALCINDAG, Head of Ankara's Chamber of Butchers
"There is a structural problem. Our country is favorable for small livestock but it has been established that 85 percent of consumers have a preference for beef meat. We must first embrace and support the small farmers. Because milk prices are low, cows are sent to the slaughterhouse, so the production cycle ends. In the past year, the citizens' purchasing power declined by two-thirds. There is a crisis on hand. We must ensure that farmers can live with their produce. We have destroyed production."

In addition to consumers, the rising prices of meat have posed a significant challenge for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, particularly in the lead-up to the local elections scheduled for Sunday.
   
Ahead of Ramadan, the Turkish leader ordered state authorities to crack down on profiteers and hoarders during Ramadan.
   
Local media reported that people are lining up at state-run Meat and Milk Board stores during Ramadan to purchase affordable meat. The firm offers meat at nearly half the price of supermarkets and butcher shops.
   
Moreover, special stores in the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality also offer meat at discounted prices during Ramadan.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)