Turkey’s food inflation in February was 71.1 percent, a figure more than 13 times higher than the average of 38 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, Turkish media outlets reported, citing statistics released by the OECD for January and February.
According to the OECD release, Turkey had the highest food inflation rate by a significant margin among the OECD countries in February, followed by Iceland (7.5 percent), Korea (6.9 percent) and Greece (6.7 percent).
Global food prices, which surged due to the pandemic, Russia’s war on Ukraine, rising energy prices and the climate crisis, have been in decline, while food prices in Turkey have continued to rise.
According to the statistics, the food inflation average in February was 5.3 percent for OECD member countries, 3.3 percent for European countries and 3 percent for European Union member countries.
The OECD data also showed Turkey’s food inflation rate has increased by 18.6 percent since May 2023.
Meanwhile, data released by the United Metal Workers Union (BİSAM), an affiliate of the Revolutionary Workers Confederation (DİSK), showed that Turkey’s poverty line increased by TL 23,824 ($732) in a year to TL 57,578 ($1,770) in March.
The poverty line refers to the total amount a family of four needs to live without feeling deprived of food and the money required to pay other expenses such as rent and utilities.
In March, the amount needed for a family of four to maintain a healthy and balanced diet — referred to as the hunger line — also increased, reaching TL 16,646 ($511), according to BİSAM.
Over the past several years the country has been suffering from a deteriorating economy, with high inflation and unemployment, as well as a poor human rights record. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is criticized for mishandling the economy, emptying the state’s coffers and establishing one-man rule in the country where dissent is suppressed and opponents are jailed on politically motivated charges.