Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerThe model, which was implemented by 'in order to offer more cheap bread to the public due to the worsening economic conditions, gave a breath of fresh air to both low-income citizens and bakers who are in a difficult situation. Thanks to the protocol signed with the Chamber of Bakers, Halk Ekmek's capacity doubled without any new investment. The baker tradesmen, who overcame the danger of closing the shutters and directed their idle capacity to production, and the people of Izmir, who reach cheap and healthy bread more easily, are also satisfied with the application.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor against the economic crisis in the country Tunç SoyerThe "People's Bread" model, implemented by . Minister Tunç SoyerWith the protocol signed by İzmir Chamber of Bakers and Craftsmen on March 1, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality put the investment cost into service. The practice, which will set an example for Turkey, has benefited bread producers struggling to survive due to the problem of idle capacity against increasing costs, and citizens with low incomes with the rise in affordable bread supply.
Supply capacity doubled, queues reduced
Following the protocol, the bread factories, which started to produce quality and healthy bread of the same standard in line with the recipe of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, brought their idle capacities back into production. The breads produced in the factories were offered for sale at 63 People's Bread kiosks throughout the city. Producing 130 thousand breads a day at the Halk Ekmek factory in Çiğli, the Metropolitan doubled its supply capacity, while the queues at the kiosks decreased.
The investment resource of the Metropolitan remained in service
Explaining the details of the protocol after the application became operational, Grand Plaza General Manager Hasan Ikat said, “This project is the Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. Tunç SoyerIt is a project created with the visionary perspective and foresight of . With the project, we aim both to keep our bakers in distress and to enable our people to reach bread more easily. We will have increased our number of buffets, which is currently 63, by 15-20 more in a short time. In this way, we will have the opportunity to use our resources more positively, in social areas that our people need. At the same time, we will double the capacity of Halk Ekmek”.
“We came together with the public and private sectors for the first time”
Making a call for the protocol to be spread throughout the country, Birol Yılmaz, Chairman of the Turkish Bakery Industry Employers' Union, said, “We came together with the public and private sectors for the first time and made an agreement. I hope that this agreement will cost Turkey and set an example. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality was going to make an investment of millions of dollars. We also had idle capacity. "By bringing them together, we solved this problem."
“Without the protocol, nearly 300 tradesmen would have gone bankrupt”
Stating that the cooperation saved the bread producers in İzmir from closing their shutters, Yılmaz said, “If this protocol did not exist, nearly 300 tradesmen would go bankrupt and close their businesses. The architect of this project is our esteemed president. I would like to thank our President Tunç very much. We have idle capacity. And our money remained in our pocket. The money of the municipality, the money of the state is our money. We also found a common way by evaluating our idle capacity. We have also met the bread needs of our citizens. This agreement made by the public and private sectors has been very beneficial.”
“No losers here”
Bread producers, who started production rapidly after the signatures, thanked President Soyer for opening the idle capacities to production. Ege Ata A.S. Soner Çelik, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Member of the Aegean Region Chamber of Industry, said, “Here, the people of İzmir, our municipality, the bread industrialist of İzmir and the baker of İzmir have won. There is no losing party here. Our biggest problem was the capacity problem. With this protocol, we have solved this problem. This is an exemplary project,” he said.
Taşkent Bread and Bakery Products Inc. Murat Eser, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Member of the Izmir Commodity Exchange Council, said: “We had idle capacities at the point facing the industrialists. This also increased the cost. With this project, we had the opportunity to reduce our costs and to deliver the cheap and healthy bread needed by our people to the public through the municipality by filling our idle capacities. I also think that this project will set an example for all People's Breads in Turkey.”
Bread supplies are met
As the bread prices rose to 3 TL and the economic crisis throughout the country worsened the living conditions, the demand for people's bread increased rapidly. Şahin Işıkan, Headman of Mevlana District of Bornova, said, “The demand of our citizens was due to the economic impossibilities in our country. Halk Ekmek, which came to our neighborhood, made a great contribution to us. “I think that all the needs of our neighborhood are met now,” he said.
Cheap, healthy, hearty, delicious bread
Halk Ekmek users used the following statements:
Serdar Kirmaz: “We use Halk Ekmek on a daily basis. It's also very good for the price. It relaxes us. It makes more sense when you think of large families, and its bread is more filling than other breads.”
Adile Çataloluk: “I am very pleased with Halk Ekmek; I am particularly pleased with its taste. I know that it is produced under hygienic conditions. It has a huge impact on the family budget. The difference is already 1 TL. It is also very economical for us.”
Mehmet Prosecutor: “I am very happy with the folk bread practice. There is a difference between grocery stores and here. 2 liras here, 3 liras at grocery stores. The service is nice. The employees here also serve us without any difficulty.”
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