Kurdish conflict reaches Turkish kitchens
The Kurdish conflict in southeast Turkey has badly hurt farming in the region, worsening the country’s already acute meat production shortage.
Turkey was once a self-sufficient country in terms of food and generated major revenue from the export of food items. In recent years, however, it has become an importer in the realm of agriculture as a result of decreased state support for farmers and stockbreeders and the privatization of state-owned meat and dairy enterprises under the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The shrinking output of meat, in particular, has sent prices skyrocketing, meaning that meat is now a luxury product beyond the reach of many low-income households. The importation of meat and livestock has failed to remedy the situation, and the crisis is growing even bigger amid the worsening conflict in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority eastern and southeastern regions, the traditional leaders of the husbandry and stockbreeding sectors.
