Turkey: Livestock and Products Semiannual

Post estimates cattle numbers to increase 1 percent in 2021 to 18.3 million head, which aligns with recent average growth rate in the industry, due to government incentives for newborn calves. An increasing number of cows sent to slaughter, fewer breeding incentives, and feeder cattle import restrictions imposed by late 2019 are the main factors limiting additional production. In 2021, cattle imports are estimated to be 50 percent lower than 2020 as a result of the restriction on feeder cattle imports established in 2019. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MinAF) announced in early 2020 that feeder cattle imports will be completely stopped by 2022. Post has revised meat production in 2021 to be slightly higher than 2020, with a total of 1.1 MMT, despite the stagnate feeder cattle population. In 2021, beef imports are forecast to decline 10 percent to 5,600 CWT due to the Ministry's policy to drastically limit imports through high tariffs to protect domestic producers.