September 15, 2009

Turkey's poultry producers are rubbing their hands in glee as poultry demand shot up nearly 40 percent with the arrival of the Ramadan holiday during summertime.

Hot weather lead people to break fasting with lighter foods, whereby digestion is relatively easier. A fast-breaking meal is not considered complete without meat therefore poultry was in high demand, said Necmettin Caliskan, general director of Beyza Pilic, a poultry producer based in Adana.

Sales have increased 40 percent and the high poultry demand could last until the Feast of the Sacrifice, he said.

Another reason for the increased demand is the price advantage. Caliskan noted that while red meat prices rose from TRY15-TRY20 per kg, the price of poultry per kg was TRY4-TRY5 during Ramadan.

Meanwhile, Turkey's poultry exports have also increased due to a rising demand for Halal food products, and many Islamic countries prefer to import poultry from Turkey, according to Caliskan.

US$1 = TRY1.49266 (Sept 15)