Mahmut Erden: Support for Farmers in the South Far Exceeds Ours

He stated, "The support received by farmers in the South is virtually non-existent compared to what our farmers get," and questioned, "Why aren't you protesting the cheese imported from the Netherlands? Just like cheese, meat will also be coming from the Netherlands."

In the 'Gündem' program hosted by Ulaş Barış, Erden highlighted the challenges faced by local producers who cannot compete with the cheese imported from the Netherlands due to its appeal to both businesses and consumers.

"WHY AREN'T YOU PROTESTING DUTCH CHEESE?"

Erden pointed out that the cheese from the Netherlands is more attractive to both businesses and consumers, questioning, "Why aren't you protesting the cheese imported from the Netherlands? Just like cheese, meat will also be coming from the Netherlands."

"FLOOR PRICE POLICY IS ABSURD"

Erden criticized the government's attempts to control meat prices through measures like floor pricing for butchers, labeling such policies as absurd and ineffective. He argued that floor prices might be applicable to subsidized sectors but are impractical and counterproductive in this context.

"POPULATION INCREASED, ANIMAL NUMBERS STAYED THE SAME"

Erden reminded that the introduction of imported meat was considered because butchers couldn't cope with the floor prices. He noted that this issue isn't new, citing that while the population has increased since 2004, the number of livestock has remained unchanged. He criticized the mentality of restricting supply to create scarcity and drive prices up, which also encourages smuggling. High meat prices, he said, benefit smugglers the most.

"WE HAVE DAIRY CATTLE, NOT BEEF CATTLE"

Addressing the pricing issue, Erden stated that the solution lies in policy changes. He explained, "Our livestock industry is entirely focused on dairy production, not meat. Our cattle are dairy cattle, not beef cattle. While importing meat might provide a short-term solution, the long-term answer is to introduce beef cattle. Both Turkey and South Cyprus have imported livestock. The support received by farmers in South Cyprus far exceeds what our farmers get here. The root of our problem is a lack of regulation."