Meat prices in Turkey have increased by 808 percent in six years, and few can now afford this “luxury” commodity. But the trouble is not only in the stomachs, writes FAC.
The minimum wage in Turkey is around 400 euros, and 57 percent of the workers in their country have to support themselves with it, writes Bülent Mumay in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He points out that it is not cheap even for tourists in the country – at home they pay six euros for a kilogram of mincemeat, and in Turkey, where people receive only 400 euros per month, mincemeat costs 12 euros. In six years, meat prices have increased by 808 percent, how should we pay for them, asks Mumai. Even fruits and vegetables are now hard to come by in agricultural Turkey.
The author notes that in just one decade, the number of people who can afford one fruit a day has dropped from 57 to 36.5 percent. “As a result of Erdogan’s economic policies, food prices have been rising for 33 months without a break,” Mumay wrote.
In his article for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Turkish journalist also pays serious attention to the political situation: “It is not only our stomachs that are in trouble. We are suffocating in an atmosphere in which dissenters are denied the right to exist. The objections to Erdogan’s government or the cultural hegemony he is trying to establish are severely punished”.
Students are already fleeing Turkey
Against the background of all this, it is no wonder that students now also want to leave Turkey in search of a better life in the West, concludes Bulent Mumay. Since Erdogan’s election victory, the number of applications for asylum in Germany by Turks, mainly doctors, has doubled. The author also tells about a trip of Turkish students to Italy, during which a 17-year-old high school student separated from his group and disappeared. The teachers contacted him, but his answer was: “Don’t look for me, I won’t come back.” After a few days, it turned out that he had left Italy for Germany, applied for asylum and been admitted to a refugee camp.
“A while ago, when older professionals left the country, there was a brain drain. After the protests in Gezi Park in 2013, young people began to leave. And now high school students are also leaving,” the journalist wrote.
Is there a solution to the problems?
“Tagesspiegel” points out that “there is no panacea that can solve the accumulated problems in Turkey in one fell swoop”. According to the publication, the goal should now be to fight inflation, which means a tighter monetary policy, i.e. higher interest rates for loans. Government spending must be increased and the central bank must buy foreign currency.
The German publication notes that when it comes to Turkey, it is about at least two different countries: one is poor and languishing, the other consists of middle-income people struggling to survive.
To eliminate these regional inequalities, more investment must be made in poor Turkey, and within the framework of a regional planning program in which the state is both a producer and an investor, recommends Tagesspiegel. The publication emphasizes that Ankara should prioritize education and health services. “Otherwise, it is not very likely to get out of this crisis.”
Place a rating:
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
4
Rating 4 out of 20 votes.
2023-07-10 15:20:00
#Turkey #worse
