Istanbul districts see varying prices in meat: Report

ISTANBUL

Meat prices across Istanbul vary considerably, as a kilo of red meat can cost between 200 to 600 liras depending on the district or shop selling it, according to reports from local media.

Red meat was priced at three different tariffs in the city. The cost of a kilo of minced meat - sold for 230 liras ($7) at the Meat and Milk Institution, a governmental organization responsible for regulating and overseeing the production, distribution, and pricing of meat and dairy products - has risen to 400 liras in markets and 600 liras at butcher shops, according to reports.

Additionally, meat prices varied from neighborhood to neighborhood. In Beylikdüzü, minced meat is sold at 540 liras per kilogram, while prices in Başakşehir went up to 600 liras.

Butcher Savaş Üzek attributed the varying prices between neighborhoods to the rental costs. "The rental rates are higher in wealthier neighborhoods, and the salaries of working staff are different. Not every business would want to work with the same profit margin," he said.

Üzek also argued that the quality of the meat supplied by markets, which often offer imported products, was not up to par with the meat sold by butchers.

Stating that the prices of meat change regularly, Üzek said, "Since the purchasing power of citizens and the rate of increase in prices are disproportionate, people face difficulty in affording meat."

According to the reports, many people form long queues outside the Meat and Milk Institution to purchase meat at comparatively low prices.

Stating that there are enough animals for the prices to fall, Veysel Günal, a regional vice president at a federation of butchers, blamed speculations by large-scale breeders about exorbitant increases. "They suggest to hold off the slaughter of cow