Cancelled simit price hike in Ankara is coming back! 'There will be an adjustment after the election too'

Turkey welcomed the new year with price hikes. The minimum wage, set at 17 thousand 2 TL, began to melt away before it even reached the citizens' pockets.

As prices for everything from needles to thread increased, the 'tea-simit' calculation made years ago by AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan returned to the agenda when simit prices in Ankara rose from 10 TL to 15 TL.

Subsequently, the simit price hike in Ankara was cancelled, and the price was pulled back to 10 TL.

Following the uncertainty in simit prices, Savaş Delibaş, President of the Pide and Simit Bakers Chamber, and İsa Güven, President of the Ankara Coffeehouse Tradesmen Chamber, spoke to Saygı Öztürk from Sözcü.

"THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRADE INVITED ME TO HIS OFFICE"

Savaş Delibaş explained the hike process and its aftermath as follows:

“Before applying to the governor's office for the hike, we calculated the costs. We determined the cost of a simit to us as 11 lira 20 kuruş. Taking into account the costs and potential increases in inputs, we set the price at 15 lira. The governor's office approved our price list, and we notified our members of this list. Upon the news of the hike we made to simit prices being published, Deputy Minister of Trade Mahmut Gürcan invited me to his office and asked why we had implemented a hike. I reminded him of the price increases. I showed the deputy minister the cost calculated by the Ministry of Agriculture experts. According to their calculation, the cost came out to 12 lira 70 kuruş. That is, even higher than the cost we determined. He asked us to postpone the hike. He even used some expressions that saddened and hurt us. I told him that I would make a statement upon this.”

“WE APOLOGIZED TO OUR PEOPLE AND OUR TRADESMEN BECAUSE WE RECEIVED AN INSTRUCTION”

I announced that we had withdrawn the hike by apologizing to our people. The reason for my apology is this: We calculated the costs and received approval for it, but because we received an instruction, we apologized to our people and our tradesmen. There was quite a bit of criticism directed at us regarding this matter. Currently, we have had to sell simit below cost. We are forced to increase our prices next week. To 12 lira 50 kuruş... We will make a decision as the board and send it to the governor's office for approval. We will also have to make a simit hike after the election. If prices remained stable, why would we hike them? There is an expectation of price hikes for everything after the election. We, too, are forced to implement a hike against our will.”

“BELIEVE ME, THERE IS NO ONE LEFT TO TREAT THE ONLOOKERS TO TEA”

Ankara Coffeehouse Tradesmen Chamber President İsa Güven said, “Yes, tea and simit were mentioned together, and their prices were almost the same. Last year, we raised the price of a glass of tea to 15 lira. We left the simit price behind. Those who watch people playing games in coffeehouses are called 'yancı' (onlookers). The tea money for these onlookers used to be paid as well. Believe me, there is no one left to treat the onlookers to tea now. In fact, there are even those who wouldn't drink tea in the coffeehouse if they weren't forced to.”