Ramadan Boosts Poultry Demand

by 5m Editor
14 September 2009, at 9:47am

TURKEY - Poultry demand received a boost during Ramadan.

Poultry producers have long awaited a moment like this, reports Hurriyet. With the arrival of the Ramadan holiday during summertime, the demand for poultry rose by nearly 40 per cent.

"Hot weather led people to break fasting with lighters foods, whose digestion is relatively easier. Since the iftar [fast-breaking] meal cannot be considered complete without meat, poultry was in high demand," said Necmettin Çaliskan, general director of Beyza Piliç, a poultry producer based in the southern city of Adana.

"Our sales increased 40 per cent. We can say that poultry producers are living their best days. We expect this high demand for poultry to continue until the Feast of the Sacrifice," said Mr Çaliskan.

It may be easier to digest poultry than red meat, but that is only one of the reasons why people have preferred bringing poultry to their tables. According to Mr Çaliskan, another reason for the increased demand in poultry is the price advantage.

"Red meat prices rose from 15 to 20 Turkish Liras per kilogram. The price of poultry per kilo was set at 4 to 5 liras during Ramadan. This price discrepancy has turned into a major advantage for us, reviving demand."

Meanwhile, due to an increasing demand for halal, or Islam-permissible, food products, many countries have preferred to import poultry from Turkey instead of countries like the United States or Brazil.

"Poultry exports have exploded recently. Our annual poultry exports, which used to stand at 25,000 tons annually, increased to 100,000 tons within the past couple of years," Mr Çaliskan told Hurriyet. Many Muslim countries prefer to import poultry from Turkey, he added.