Poverty, starvation lines rise amid high food inflation

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The Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) has released the findings of the "Starvation and Poverty Line Survey," which it conducts every month to reveal the living conditions of employees and the effects of price changes to families' budgets.

For a family of four living in the capital city of Ankara, the "starvation line," which is defined as the minimum food expenditure for a healthy, sufficient and balanced diet, was 2,926 lira in August, the report says. The minimum monthly wage in Turkey is 2,825 lira (1 US dollar = 8.35 Turkish lira).

The poverty line, which is defined as the total amount of necessary expenditures such as housing, transportation, education and health, was 9,533 lira.

The increase in the poverty line and the starvation was due to the food inflation, said the Türk-İş. (HA/VK)