People left wanting for bread under AKP

The economic crisis continues to grow in the country due to the war policies Erdoğan employs, while bakers can’t buy flour to make bread after the recent hike in prices.

The economic crisis caused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s war policies continues to get deeper in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan. There is no manufacturing left, all goods are imported and the small business owners and people are going through hard times. Shopkeepers can’t keep inventory because of price hikes almost every day. The rise in consumer good prices also put a strain on citizens. Many basic goods have seen price hikes ranging from 50% to 100%. Shopkeepers can’t buy new goods due to the price hikes, and they can’t sell the stock they have.

The price of a bag of flour went from 50 Liras to 120 Liras in Hakkari and other provinces in Kurdistan. The increase in flour prices have forced bakers to produce much less bread than what the people need. Many bakeries have reduced their baking to only once a day due to the high prices. If flour prices continue like this, many bakeries will have to close. Bread and baked goods have seen a 20% price increase due to flour prices.

“THE AKP FORCED THE COUNTRY FIRST INTO WAR AND NOW INTO ECONOMIC CRISIS”

AKP’s price hikes cause widespread unrest in Hakkari, where unemployment is high. There is no trade or manufacturing in Hakkari, where the people live on animal husbandry and agriculture in high lands and pastures, which are now restricted zones. The AKP has banned border trade which provided the livelihood of thousands of people, and is enacting an economic embargo on the people.

A citizen from Hakkari who wishes to remain anonymous said the AKP forced the country first into war, and now into an economic crisis: “We can’t find bread in shops and bakeries anymore in Hakkari. The bakeries run out of bread within the hour. If we can’t buy bread in the morning, it’s very difficult to buy later in the day. In a few years, the country has come to the brink of separation due to the inexplicable love the AKP has for the Ottoman Empire. If it goes on like this, Turkey will fracture, just like the Ottomans did. The Ottoman Empire fell due to wars and wastefulness. Turkey is headed in the same direction.”

EVERYTHING IS MORE EXPENSIVE WITH THE CRISIS

A cornershop owner in Hakkari’s Merzan neighborhood said they don’t sell bread anymore. The shopkeeper said the bakery brings them very few loaves and added: “With the economic crisis, the price of everything is on the rise. There has been significant increase in flour prices. That is why the bakers can’t make bread like they used to anymore.

Now the bakers bring very few loaves to cornershops. And that is usually gone within the hour in the morning. Citizens can’t find bread if they didn’t score a loaf in the morning. With the economic crisis, people will soon find no bread to eat.”