A staple of New Year's Eve tables remains on the shelf this year: Prices rose by a record 700 liras!

With only a few days left until the New Year in Istanbul, turkeys that decorate New Year's tables have gone on sale.

While turkey prices started at an average of 1,800 liras last year, they are being sold this year at prices ranging between 2,200 liras and 2,600 liras, depending on their weight and whether they are male or female.

The turkey, which received a record price hike, has remained on the counter this year.

A 40 PERCENT PRICE HIKE!

Prices for turkeys, which were sold for an average of 1,800 liras depending on their weight last year, start at 2,000 to 2,200 liras this year. Mehmet Yalçın, who has been a turkey seller in Küçükçekmece for about 35 years, said that there is little demand for turkeys this year and that the turkeys are remaining on the counter.

"THE TURKEYS REMAINED IN OUR HANDS THIS YEAR"

Stating that the weights of the turkeys vary between 5-8 kilograms, Mehmet Yalçın said, "We cannot sell them; they remained in our hands. We brought these from İpsala. These are fatty animals, free-range animals. They have a distinct flavor; we have very beautiful turkeys. They have very delicious meat; the females weigh 5 kilograms. The others, the male turkeys, weigh 8-9 kilograms."

"WE ARE SELLING THEM FOR 2,200 OR 2,500 LIRAS"

Stating that the prices do not cover costs, Yalçın said, "Last year, the prices were 1,800-1,900 liras. This year it goes like 2,200-2,500, but it doesn't cover the costs. If these don't eat rice paddy, meaning if they don't graze in the fields outside, if you give them feed, even if you give them 5 liras, it doesn't cover it.

"PEOPLE HAVE NO MONEY, THEY ARE ALREADY STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET"

There is not much interest this year; people don't have money anyway. People earn 12-13 thousand liras and are already struggling to make ends meet; there is no one to pay this money. Last year, we sold 1,000 to 1,500. This year we brought 300, and 100 of them remained in our hands. This place has been set up for 10-12 days. We brought 300 animals, we sold 200, and 100 are sitting in our hands.

When our customer comes, we take it in our hands and say, 'We are giving this for 2,500, we are selling this for 2,200,' and that's how we sell them," he said.

"I BROUGHT 4,000 TURKEYS LAST YEAR; 400 THIS YEAR"

Turkey seller Zeynel Abidin Kaçan said, "We are in the turkey business. We had brought 300 turkeys this year, 150 are left. Compared to last year, the number of turkeys we brought this year is lower. No one has the money to come and buy a turkey and celebrate the New Year.

Last year, there were turkeys for 1,300, 1,400, 1,500. It changes according to the weight. There are females, 3-4 kilograms for 2,300 liras. There are males, those that weigh 5-6-7 kilograms for 2,600 liras. Prices are high this year, but no one has money. Prices are very high this year, I don't know the reason. Production is expensive, feed is expensive, food is expensive, that's why it's high. We also earn 100 or 200 liras. We made the same sales last year. This year it is lower.

I had brought 4,000 turkeys last year. I brought 400 turkeys this year. I will leave whenever they are finished. We will leave 1-2 days after the New Year. I am trying to finish my goods until then. We say 2,600 for bargaining, the man comes and says, '2,400 TL'. Will you give it or not? We will try to give our goods for 2,450 or 2,500 and finish them," he said.

"WE WORK ON ORDER; THEY WANT TURKEY LEGS"

Kamil Özer, who owns a butcher shop in Bakırköy, said that they brought turkeys on order this year. Özer said, "There is almost no turkey sale right now. Why is there none? We work on order; we cannot bring them. We cannot keep too many and say 'We have them in stock, we will sell them.' It wasn't like that in the past.

For example, 25-30 turkeys used to come near the New Year. They would be stuffed, hung up, everywhere would be filled with turkeys. In other words, customers, people could buy them; but we cannot do such a thing right now. We can only take them on order. A customer says, and they already want it as a half anyway. Those who want the most want half a kilo or smaller ones of 3 kilos. Those don't happen anyway; they happen with 5-6 kilo turkeys. When it is 5-6 kilograms, no one can buy it; there is no possibility of buying it; because they eat it once. They eat it for one day, and when it remains for the next day, it is not eaten, or they want it at most as a leg, they want it as a turkey leg. We use those. We bring them as turkey legs. We sell them to people as turkey legs.

"SALES ARE GETTING WORSE EVERY YEAR"

Last year was a little better, it was better than this. The year before was better. The year before that was better. Back then, as I said, 15-20, 30 turkeys were coming. We could buy them, we could sell them. Buying is not the problem, selling is what matters. There is no point in buying if you don't sell. There are no sales for turkeys normally anyway, we only buy them for the New Year," he said.