In the TRNC, a critical rise in meat prices has been reported

The Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Craftsmen and the Butchers’ Trade and Crafts Chamber issued a joint statement, calling the situation with meat prices unacceptable.

The statement notes that the average price of minced meat worldwide is about 500 TL per kilogram, while in Northern Cyprus it reaches 1,000 TL. Under such conditions, representatives of the organizations stressed, “there is nothing left to say but enough.”

According to their data, around 18,000 head of cattle and 137,000 lambs are slaughtered annually in TRNC slaughterhouses, which corresponds to 8.5–9 thousand tons of meat per year.

With a population of 500,000 people, annual meat consumption per capita is about 16 kg, and with a population of 700,000 — less than 12 kg.

The organizations claim that, taking into account consumption by hotels and tourists, domestic meat consumption among the local population has almost stopped. For comparison, in 2010 consumption amounted to 46 kg per person per year.

The statement also notes that a significant part of residents are forced to buy meat in Southern Cyprus, and the volume of such imports, including illegal channels, exceeds domestic sales.

Representatives of the organizations emphasized that the right of the Turkish Cypriot community to its own production is a matter of survival and promised to continue the fight for support of local producers.