High feed prices, drought and the trade of smuggled animals, compounded with unsold livestock left over from Eid al-Adha, have led to difficulties for livestock breeders. According to Karabulut, the decreased purchasing power of customers along with the high prices of livestock this year led to a trough in sales. “We haven’t been able to meet our sales goals and are very disappointed right now,” he said.
He highlighted that charitable organizations also contributed to the low sales as citizens in these difficult financial times preferred to donate their sacrifices to the needy -- a cost of TL 280 compared to TL 500 for animals sacrificed for consumption by the customer. “Breeders who didn’t heed our warning to lower their prices were left with many unsold animals,” he added.
Chamber of Butchers President Mehmet Cengiz noted that they expected a drop in the price per kilogram of lamb to TL 14 compared to TL 16.5 before the Eid al-Adha holiday.
