STORY: Livestock market stagnates amid inflation in Türkiye's Ankara as Eid approaches
SHOOTING TIME: June 12, 2024
DATELINE: June 14, 2024
LENGTH: 00:04:17
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the livestock markets
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): CUMALI IZOL, Livestock seller
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): ORHAN DINC, Livestock seller
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): CEVAT KARSLI, Livestock seller

STORYLINE:

Unlike previous years, livestock markets in Ankara are experiencing a noticeable slowdown leading up to the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha due to the country's struggle with high inflation.
   
A sharp decline in consumer purchasing power has dampened the excitement of the four-day festival due to start on Sunday in Türkiye, traders told Xinhua in one market in the Muhye neighborhood of the Turkish capital city.
   
"Sales have plummeted this year. Compared to last year, business is significantly lower. Most of our colleagues have not managed to sell a single animal," Cumali Izol, a livestock seller, said under the sweltering heat.
   
Izol, a sheep vendor from the southeastern town of Siverek near the Syrian border, said many citizens cannot afford an animal to slaughter as their purchasing power has declined sharply amid a cost-of-living crisis.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): CUMALI IZOL, Livestock seller
"Sales are very low this year. Compared to last year business is significantly lower. Most of our colleagues have not managed to sell a single animal. The purchasing power of most citizens is significantly low. In a country where the minimum wage is 17,000 liras, buying a sheep for 15,000, 17,000 liras is impossible. Even when compared to last year, the drop is significant. How can a person buy an animal to slaughter and also survive as he has bills to pay?"

Türkiye's minimum wage has increased to 17,002.12 lira (about 526 U.S. dollars) since January 2024, but buying a sheep costs between 15,000 and 17,000 lira, he said.
   
The price of a cow is approximately 10 times higher than that of a sheep, and there is even less demand for them in the market. Typically, a group of four or five people pool their resources to purchase cattle for slaughter.
   
The primary ritual of the Eid celebration is the sacrifice of livestock, the meat of which is then distributed among family, friends, and the poor.
   
Most Turks buy a sacrificial animal early before Eid al-Adha due to the high prices in the days leading up to the holiday, but this year it is not the case, according to Izol.
   
This year, meat and livestock prices rose by over 70 percent compared to last year, according to Semsi Bayraktar, head of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture.
   
"We want farmers to be able to sell their livestock for the feast, but prices are very high," he told private broadcaster NTV on Monday.
   
Orhan Dinc, another seller of goats and sheep, lamented that for the upcoming Eid season, "people don't even come here to look at the livestock because of economic woes."
     
SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): ORHAN DINC, Livestock seller
"Trade is very bad, it is significantly lower than last year. People don't even come here to look at the livestock because of economic woes. Last year, it was not like this. There were more clients around looking and bargaining to buy a sacrificial animal. But this year it has markedly stagnated. The purchasing power of consumers has been decimated. How can we expect a common pensioner who received a pension of 10,000 liras to come and purchase a sheep worth at least 15,000 liras. Prices are very high for consumers. The cost of breeding livestock has risen sharply, and the price of fodder has doubled in a year."

Sellers also attributed the slowdown in sales to the government's decision to extend the Eid holiday to nine days in Türkiye.
   
SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): CEVAT KARSLI, Livestock seller
"We came here eight days ago and only sold eight sheep. Retired clients come here and bargain but we can't conclude the sale because they can't afford an animal to slaughter. We are very surprised. Last year was better. This year has been very challenging. This year the market is deserted. It has been very disappointing for us."

Türkiye's annual inflation remains high at 75.45 percent in May, hitting hard on consumers. The high cost of living affecting millions of Turks has been exacerbated by regular price hikes in most necessities and fuel.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)