Erdoğan said it would 'balance the market': Tarım Kredi has left chain supermarkets behind, becoming the locomotive of price hikes

Along with the continuous rise in inflation, the increase in the prices of basic food items continues without slowing down. Tarım Kredi Cooperative markets, which stand out with their affordable price policy, are drawing attention with their recent price hike rates. According to a report in Sözcü, prices at Tarım Kredi stores have risen faster in recent months compared to chain supermarkets.

27 MONTHS OF DATA DRAW ATTENTION

According to an analysis by the Consumer Union Federation's Market Index Working Group covering the months of March between 2024 and 2026, in 16 of the 27 months examined, price increases at Tarım Kredi markets were higher than the average price hike rate of eight major chain supermarkets.

SHARP INCREASE IN MARCH

Looking at the Market Index data, while prices in Tarım Kredi markets rose by 2.18 percent in February 2026, this rate was measured at 2.8 percent in eight other markets. However, the picture changed in March, and there was a 7.49 percent jump in prices at Tarım Kredi markets. In the same period, other markets settled for a 4.40 percent increase. Looking at the 27-month average, while Tarım Kredi's monthly price increase rate was at the 2.99 percent level, the average for the other eight markets was 2.87 percent.

"IT BECAME THE LOCOMOTIVE OF PRICE HIKES"

Bingül Ceviz, Head of the Consumer Union Federation's Market Index Working Group, evaluated this rise in Tarım Kredi markets as follows:

“Tarım Kredi markets, which were claimed to balance prices in chain supermarkets, have become the locomotive of price hikes instead of discounts.”

ERDOĞAN HAD SAID IN 2021: "OUR GOAL IS NOT TO MAKE A PROFIT BUT TO BALANCE THE MARKET"

Emphasizing that Tarım Kredi markets were established to intervene in the market, AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had used the following expressions in a statement he made in February 2021:

“I have given my instructions. Tarım Kredi Cooperatives will increase the number of their markets; we will multiply the number of these markets to 500 points in the first stage. Our goal is not to make a profit, but to balance the market. These markets will be an element that balances the prices of chain supermarkets. In this way, we will break those opportunistic hands reaching for our citizens' tables.”

CITIZENS' EXPECTATIONS HAVE REVERSED

In short, citizens are witnessing more frequently in recent months that price hike rates in Tarım Kredi markets, where they shop with the expectation of discounts, sometimes exceed those of other chain supermarkets.

PRICE INCREASE ROSE TO 7.49 PERCENT IN MARCH

According to Market Index data, while prices in eight different chain supermarkets rose by an average of 2.8 percent in February 2026, this increase was recorded as 2.18 percent in Tarım Kredi markets. In March, the price increase in the aforementioned eight markets reached the 4.40 percent level. In the same period, the rise in label prices at Tarım Kredi markets went up to 7.49 percent.

On the other hand, when the last 27-month period is examined, the average monthly price increase in the eight markets was 2.87 percent, while this rate was calculated as 2.99 percent in Tarım Kredi markets.