Miller Magazine Issue 108 / December 2018

16 MILLER / DECEMBER 2018 Hardly a day passes without the economic hardship cau- sed by speculative exchange rate affecting one sector after another. One of the sectors that this economic hardship’s effect revealed itself gradually is the bakery. In the middle of the discussion about whether or not there should be a price hike on bread, the issue of healthy bread is igno- red. In every sense, the sector goes through a bottleneck. This reality applies both producers and consumers. Many bakeries were shut down within the last three months. Particularly those traditional bakeries that supply bread to supermarkets face a difficult situation. Bread provided at low cost put the bakeries in trouble in terms of costs. Many bakeries were closed down because of the inc- rease in raw material costs, a price hike on electricity and natural gas, rent, and increases rents and in all other in- puts. Big general stores put bread on sale that they bou- ght at low prices through intermediaries. Without produ- ction, these intermediaries are sponging on the bakeries. Thereupon, they face with returns, advertising contribu- tion, and fines. So, bakeries have to sell bread at a loss. Having to employ workers with low wages, bakeries have difficulty to produce quality bread. Tyro workers have to deal with bread production that requires craftsmanship. Challenging working conditions and low wages cause the bakery - one of the most important craftsmanship in Anatolia- to disappear. Suffering because of the increase in the number of shopping malls and the decline in the street retailing, lo- cal bakeries are being closed down each day following the latest price hikes. The cost of raw material used to be around forty and forty-five percent, but now the cost rea- ched beyond fifty-five percent. When rent, personnel, and delivery costs are added, it becomes even more difficult. If problems over the cost of raw material persist in this way, there will be serious troubles in producing healthy bread. The increase in the labor and raw material put bake- ries in a bad condition. In the last three months, one after Mine ATAMAN Bread Artisan and Writer Anatolia’s cultural heritage, bread craftsmanship disappears Guest Author