45 lira price hike for a kilo of lamb in 15 days! Another hike coming this week

The price increase in lamb carcass meat cannot be stopped. With the 45 lira hike in the last 15 days, the price per kilogram of lamb carcass has risen by 18.3 percent, from 245 lira to 290 lira.

According to the report by Mehmet Hanifi Gülel from Dünya; Aydın Tüfekçi, President of the Istanbul Retail Butchers Tradesmen Chamber, stated that the price per kilogram of lamb in butcher shops will be sold between 590 and 680 lira, depending on quality and fat content.

Stating that this situation occurs every year during this period due to the end of the milk lamb season in May, Tüfekçi said, “However, there is a different situation this year. Just like with beef, some people currently posing as livestock farmers are causing the price of lamb to rise by saying, ‘there is no lamb on the market, don’t slaughter your lambs, it will be 300 lira.’”

ANOTHER HIKE IS COMING THIS WEEK

Pointing out that a 25 lira hike was applied to lamb carcass meat just yesterday, Tüfekçi said, “Currently, although it varies by region, the price of lamb carcass is around 295 lira in western provinces and 285 lira in eastern provinces. According to the talk among wholesale meat traders, another hike is expected this week. The price of beef, on the other hand, is currently stable; there is no hike. The carcass price per kilogram of beef varies from region to region, but it is on average between 240 lira and 255 lira.”

Noting that when lamb meat is offered for sale by butchers, the price rises further with the addition of expenses such as rent, electricity, and personnel, Tüfekçi said that these costs are reflected in the price of the carcass meat purchased at a rate of 45 percent. Stating that bone-in lamb shoulder will be offered for sale at around 400 to 425 lira, Tüfekçi said, “The price per kilogram of boneless lamb cubes is expected to rise from 590 to 680 in butcher shops. The price of beef mince per kilogram varies from region to region, but it is going up from 390 lira to 470 lira. Beef cubes are going up from 410 lira to 480 lira. In Istanbul, these prices vary from butcher to butcher,” he said.

“SALES HAVE DROPPED BY 40 PERCENT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR”

Emphasizing that meat consumption is declining every year, Aydın Tüfekçi stated that a customer he follows made purchases of 8,500 lira last year, and this year the same customer has bought 9,000 lira worth of meat so far. Reporting that although the customer’s budget allocated for meat is almost the same, there has been a price increase of 120 percent compared to last year, Tüfekçi said, “There is a decrease of more than half in the amount of meat the customer bought last year compared to this year. The customer has reduced the amount in kilograms purchased. The money spent on meat is the same, but the amount consumed has dropped. On the other hand, sales in kilograms have also fallen. We have had a sales loss of nearly 40 percent in kilograms since the beginning of the year,” he said.

LIVESTOCK SUPPORT INCREASED BY 100-150 PERCENT

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s “Livestock Support Implementation Communiqué” was published in the Official Gazette and entered into force, effective from January 1. A 100-150 percent increase was made in many support items aimed at ensuring sustainability and productivity in livestock. In this context, the herd manager (shepherd) support, which was 12,000 lira in 2022, was increased by 150 percent to 30,000 lira in 2023. Ram and buck purchase support will be implemented as 2,000 lira per animal in 2023 to ensure the improvement of small ruminants and to increase productivity and herd quality. Calf support, which was given up to 900 TL/head in 2022 if criteria were met, was increased by 133 percent to 2,100 TL/head for 2023. This support will be given for every calf born in 2023. Heifer purchase support will begin to be implemented at a 50 percent grant rate for disease-free businesses. Dam sheep and goat support was increased from 50 TL/head in 2022 to 100 TL/head for 2023, a 100 percent increase.