According to a new report by Sol Haber, Turkey’s working class faces worsening deprivation. The article highlights how nominal wage hikes have failed to keep pace with hyperinflation, which has cumulatively increased by more than 1,000% since 2018. For retirees, once-sufficient bonuses now buy mere kilograms of meat instead of whole animals. At the same time, minimum-wage earners must allocate a fifth of their income to afford meat—a staple now relegated to “luxury” status.
From Livestock to Crumbs: A Broken System
The crisis is rooted in years of government policies prioritizing monopolies and imported livestock over domestic production, Sol Haber notes. Small farmers, crushed by rising feed and medicine costs, have been replaced by corporate giants, while agricultural lands and pastures have been decimated by urbanization. The result? Turkey—a nation once self-sufficient in meat—now relies on costly imports, with prices soaring beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.
Retirees Epitomize the Devastation
In 2018, a retirement bonus of 1,000 lire could buy a sheep; today, bonuses have risen just 300% to 4,000 lire, while sheep prices exceed 10,000 lire. Retirees can now afford only six kilograms of ground meat with their entire bonus, down from 29 kilograms of beef in 2018. Similarly, minimum-wage workers, earning 22,104 lire monthly, face beef prices of 600 lire per kilogram—up from 60 lire in 2021—forcing families to slash meat consumption by 25% despite higher nominal wages.
Children Bear the Brunt
The nutritional toll is dire. Research by BİSAM (the Workers’ Health and Safety Assembly) shows a family of four must spend 4,830 lire monthly on meat, poultry, and fish alone—over 20% of the minimum wage. When combined with other essentials like dairy and produce, the “hunger threshold” hits 23,590 lire, surpassing average incomes. Official data from TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) confirms the severity: in 2024, one in three children lived in households where meat-based meals were unaffordable, with poverty cited as the primary cause.
A Crisis By Design?
Critics argue that the crisis transcends inflation, blaming the systematic dismantling of the agricultural sector. Small producers have been eliminated through policies that favor corporate imports, while price controls allegedly benefit conglomerates. “Meat prices aren’t high by accident—this is the result of planned collapse,” Sol Haber asserts, calling for reforms to rebuild local farming and break monopolies.
As Bayram festivities fade, Turkey’s tables grow emptier. Without urgent shifts in policy, the dream of affordable food remains distant, leaving millions to wonder when—or if—prosperity will return to their homes.
Photo: Sol Haber