Özgür Karabat: “We Have Entered a Period of Famine”

Özgür Karabat, Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul Deputy and Member of the Economy Desk, made statements about the problems of basic food products.

CHP Istanbul Deputy and Economy Desk Member Özgür Karabat said, "The amount of cow milk collected in January 2022 decreased by 5.7% on an annual basis to 836,959 tons. Total milk and dairy product production in this period fell 4.64% compared to January 2021. According to the information I have obtained from the representatives of the sector, the producers send their animals to slaughter because the input costs increase. Feed prices have increased by 15% in the last 20 days alone. Raw milk alone is insufficient. Even if it is raised, the citizens do not have the purchasing power.

Despite the animals sent by the dairy, there is no decrease in meat prices. The main problem here is that the slaughtered animal is not replaced with a new one. In 2021, the number of cattle decreased by 0.7% compared to the previous year and fell to 18 million 36 thousand. There is something here that I would like to draw your attention to and that you will hear from me for the first time.

In 2021, the number of sheep and goats increased by 6.3% compared to the previous year and reached 57 million 519 thousand heads. Actually, there is no increase. On the contrary, there is a great loss. The earrings of slaughtered and exported sheep and goats are not removed from the system. Only 2.5 million sheep were exported to Qatar last December. Iran also buys a large number of sheep from Turkey. But these animals are not being replenished with new ones."

Özgür Karabat continued his statements with the following sentences:

"TÜİK has not disclosed this data for 25 months! TÜİK, which published the red meat production statistics in February 2020, has not disclosed this data for 25 months. The figures that should be announced in February 2021 and 2022 are hidden from the public. A big fraud has been going on for the last 2 years with the "earring game" in livestock.

In Adana, 1,500 butchers and poultry farmers closed their shutters and protested the prices. If the number of animals is sufficient, the statistics of cattle, sheep, goats, and red meat production should be announced on the basis of provinces and districts. We will see the main striking blow in the summer months. With the opening of the tourist season, the prices we see now will reach an unpredictable level. In the event of a new currency crisis and geopolitical risk, famine will arise.