The turkey that had its price increased by 800 lira is still available.

As the New Year approaches in Istanbul, turkeys that adorn the New Year tables have gone on sale. Sellers, who say that sales are low, stated that the turkeys are left unsold.

Turkeys that decorate the New Year's tables in Istanbul have gone on sale. Turkeys brought from different regions of Turkey to Istanbul are sold in farms and markets. Last year, turkeys were sold for an average of 1,800 lira based on their weight, while this year prices start from 2,000 to 2,200 lira. Mehmet Yalçın, who has been selling turkeys in Küçükçekmece for about 35 years, said that this year there is little demand for turkeys and that they are left on the counter.

"WE ARE LEFT WITH THEM"

Mehmet Yalçın, who stated that the weight of the turkeys varies between 5-8 kilograms, said, "We can't sell them, we are left with them. We brought these from İpsala. These are fatty animals, they are pasture animals. They have a taste, we have very nice turkeys. We are waiting for our customers. We sell them by the piece, we give them to customers from the fatty ones. The females are named Fatoş, and I named the big males 'Maykıl'. They have very tasty meat, the females weigh around 5 kilograms. The other ones, the male turkeys, weigh 8-9 kilograms." he stated.

"THERE IS NO INTEREST THIS YEAR"

Yalçın, who stated that the prices are not sustainable, said, "Last year, the prices were 1,800-1,900 lira. This year, it goes like 2,200-2,500, but it is not sustainable. If they don't eat rice, meaning if they don't graze outside, even if you give them feed for 5 lira, it won't work. This year, there is not much interest; people don't have money anyway. People are already earning 12-13 thousand lira and struggling to make ends meet, there is no one to pay this money. Last year we sold 1,000 to 1,500. This year we brought 300, and 100 of them are left with us. This place has been set up for 10-12 days. We brought 300 animals, sold 200 of them, and 100 are still with us. When our customers come, we take them in our hands, we say, 'We are selling this for 2,500, we are selling this for 2,200,' and that's how we sell them," he said.

"NOBODY HAS MONEY"

Turkey seller Zeynel Abidin Kaçan stated, "We are dealing with turkey sales. This year we brought 300 turkeys, and 150 are left. The number of turkeys we brought this year is lower compared to last year. Nobody has money to come and buy turkeys to celebrate the New Year. Last year, prices ranged from 1,300 to 1,500 lira for turkeys. It varies according to weight. There are females, 3-4 kilograms for 2,300 lira. There are males, those weighing 5-6-7 kilograms for 2,600 lira. Prices are high this year, but there is no one to buy. Prices are very high this year, I don't know the reason. Production, feed is expensive, food is expensive, that's why it's high. We are only making 100 or 200 lira profit. We had the same sales last year. This year is lower. Last year I brought 4,000 turkeys. This year I brought 400 turkeys. I will leave when they are finished. We will go a day or two after the New Year. Until then, I am trying to sell my goods. We say 2,600 for bargaining, and the customer comes and says, 'Will you sell it for 2,400 TL, will you not?' We will try to sell our goods for 2,450 or 2,500," he said.

"WE WORK ON ORDER"

Kamil Özer, who has a butcher shop in Bakırköy, said that this year they brought turkeys on order. Özer stated, "There is almost no turkey sales right now. Why is that? We are working on order; we can't bring them. We can't say 'Let's keep some in stock and sell them.' It wasn't like that before. For example, previously, close to the New Year, 25-30 turkeys would come. They would be filled, hung, and every place would be filled with turkeys. I mean, customers could buy; but right now we can't do such a thing. We can only buy on order. A customer says, and they already want it in half. The most they want is half a kilo or a smaller 3-kilo one. They don't have those; it only works with 5-6-kilo turkeys. When it is 5-6 kilograms, nobody can buy; there is no chance of buying; because they eat it once. They eat it for one day, and if it stays until the next day, it won't be eaten, or at most they want it as a leg, they want turkey leg. We use those. We bring turkey legs. We sell turkey legs to people. Last year was a bit better, it was better than this. The year before was better. The year before that was better. Back then, as I said, 15-20, 30 turkeys would come. We could buy, we could sell. Buying is not a problem; selling is what matters. If you don't sell, there is no point in buying. Normally, there are no sales for turkeys; we only buy for the New Year," he said.