Rising pita bread prices spark outrage in Türkiye

The Turkish Bakers Federation recently announced that the price of Ramadan pita, an essential food item for Turks during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, will rise by 80 percent this year, triggering public outrage. The price of 250 grams of pita bread will be 15 liras (0.48 U.S. dollars) this year, the federation announced. Last year, the price of 300 grams of plain pita bread was 10 liras. The increase in pita prices will reach 80 percent from the previous year when calculated per kilo, Halil Ibrahim Balci, president of the federation, told reporters early this week. According to Balci, the rising costs of flour, labor, and other operational expenses were the main reasons behind the price hike. "When we consider our expenses, there is an increase of over 100 percent. I hope our citizens find the 80 percent increase reasonable," said Balci. The rise in pita bread prices has caused anger among Turkish citizens, who have already been struggling against the persistently ...