28.02.2026 11:28
TESK General President Bendevi Palandöken emphasized the need to support agricultural production to reduce food inflation, drawing attention to the importance of logistical support and the need to focus on individual businesses. Palandöken stated, "A new regulation is necessary. When the regulations in both the wholesale law and the retail sector are combined, and the map of that region is drawn, I am sure that complaints about high prices will significantly decrease."
Agricultural products, meat, legumes, fruits, and vegetables need to be supported in order to reduce inflation in food products, said Bendevi Palandöken, the President of the Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK), "Agricultural analysis should be conducted and regional maps should be created."
"IT IS NECESSARY TO PREVENT INTERMEDIARIES AND PRICE INCREASES"
Palandöken stated that the most important factor from the field to the table is logistical support, saying, "When you provide logistical support, it is necessary to prevent intermediaries and price increases from the production center to the final consumption center or your table. In other words, the difficulty of preserving the product in terms of losses during transportation and the increase in costs due to the lack of equipped vehicles. The support given to farmers in individual enterprises, fertilizers, etc., should be encouraging. As long as this awareness is not established, it will be very difficult to fight. It is necessary to increase the income from selling the fruits they can obtain by growing parsley, onions, or fruit trees next to their homes in that city. Certain age groups need to be encouraged for this," he said.
"20% OF PEOPLE LIVE IN VILLAGES, EVERYONE HAS SETTLED IN CITIES"
Emphasizing the need to find ways to increase the producer's income, Palandöken stated, "The number of people living in villages is around 20%. Everyone has settled in areas with more social competence in the city. In other words, they prefer big cities even though they earn less than they would on their own land. Therefore, individual enterprises should be prioritized. That is, people should be able to have one or two sheep, or five. If you support all the inputs for the preservation of their cows and large livestock, you will have ensured a decrease in inflation. In other words, it is necessary to find ways to increase their earnings from production," he expressed.
CITIZENS ARE MOST DISTURBED BY RED MEAT, WHITE MEAT, AND LEGUME PRICES
Pointing out that citizens are most disturbed by the prices of red meat, white meat, and legumes, Palandöken noted, "The discomfort of people is mostly seen in the price differences in consumption. Therefore, as long as we produce these locally and increase production in the nearby areas where they live, these issues will be resolved. Similarly, people are complaining about the high prices of sunflower oil, olive trees, and olive oil in the planting fields, but unfortunately, since these areas have been opened for housing, people are facing unfair competition due to not being able to benefit from this productivity or not receiving the return for their labor."
"REGULATIONS IN THE HAL LAW AND RETAIL SECTOR SHOULD BE COMBINED"
Palandöken stated that the regulations in the hal law and the retail sector should be combined, saying, "A new regulation is necessary. When the regulations in both the hal law and the retail sector are combined and the map of that region is created, I am sure that complaints about high prices will significantly decrease. Competition will arise. As people see this profitability, production will accelerate. As long as there is such rapid urbanization and consumption in a place where there is no production, it is not possible to regulate or reduce prices even with police measures," he said.