Govt gives green light to ‘cheaper’ chicken imports

CHICKEN imports are to be allowed into the TRNC in a move aimed at cutting food costs by breaking an alleged domestic monopoly.

News of the change of government policy was announced on Monday by Agriculture Minister Erkut Şahali, who said the objective was “to achieve competitive prices”, so helping to protect household purchasing power during the current economic crisis.

Director of the Veterinary Department Huda Hudaoğlu said all imported chicken would be inspected in the same way as other food products and health certificates would be required from import firms, adding: “People can rest assured about the safety of imported chicken.”

The Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Commerce issued a statement saying it approved of the action, adding: “The government has shown that it has the capacity to take tough decisions in hard times.”

Head of the Artisans’ and Craftsmen’s Chamber Hürrem Tulga welcomed the move, claiming commercial chicken breeding in the TRNC was a monopoly controlled by one firm, Kırnı Piliçleri.

However owner Mustafa Haci Ali said he considered the government’s decision “a deliberate act against me”, commenting: “It’s thought-provoking that they haven’t allowed the importation of tomatoes or potatoes as well as chicken.”

He added: “The decision is wrong but it won’t affect us much anyway as there isn’t a big difference between Turkish and TRNC chicken prices.”