Kurban meat sold for profit in the market instead of being distributed to the poor, has negative ramifications both for those who want to abide by religious practices as well as red meat producers.
Kurban meat that enters the market is causing both economic and religious problems according to the head of Red Meat Producers Association and the Directorate of Religious Affairs. Meat that is sold instead of distributed to the poor is against the principles of worship says the Directorate.
The Directorate argues that any extra meat can be sold at market value, but only if the proceeds of the sale are then distributed to those Muslims who are in need. Any other use of the sales proceeds should be avoided, it said.
Producers also hurt
Turkish Red Meat Producers Association President Bülent Tunç argued that the kurban meat is enough to feed the poor for a whole year. However, Tunç said that because most people do not have time to sacrifice an animal, they donate money to organizations that carry this out.
Those organizations then sell the meat and make a lot of money, which creates economic problems since that meat then floods the market and red meat producers are no longer able to make a profit.
“This practice has negative effects both on the citizens’ worship and meat producers,” he added.
Meanwhile, Turkish Agriculture Chambers Union (TZOB) President Şemsi Bayraktar says that as of August 2012, Turkey has reached a record in poultry and egg production with 1.7 million tons of poultry and 14 billion eggs.
Bayraktar, in a written statement, said that there has been a steady increase in poultry and egg production. In 2010, Turkey produced 1.4 million tons of poultry meat. In 2011, this number reached 1.6 million and as of August 2012, this figure was at 1.7 million.
As for egg production, in 2010 Turkey produced 11.8 billion eggs, 12.9 billion in 2011 and 14 billion as of August 2012.
“Many countries are not able to produce the amount of poultry and eggs in one year that Turkey is able to produce in one month. In fact, production is increasing at a very rapid pace,” he said noting that in 2012, the amount of poultry available had increased 10.2 percent from the year before and that egg production was up 17.2 percent year-over-year.
However, one obstacle facing the sector is the increasing prices in animal feed.
(Hürriyet Daily News)
