Turks Brace for More Hardships as Inflation Soars

Surging inflation in Türkiye showed no signs of abating in September, as households were bracing for more hardships amid an expected fresh wave of price hikes for essential goods.

The annual inflation reached 83.45 percent in September, and consumer prices rose by 3.08 percent month-on-month, further hitting Turks who already struggle with high energy, food and housing costs, shows data released on Monday by the Turkish Statistical Institute.

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In capital Ankara's busy commercial neighborhood of Kizilay, shoppers were complaining about the unsparing increase in the cost of living.

"Never in my life I saw such high food prices in Türkiye," said Osman Sengor, a 50-year-old construction worker and a father of four.

"It is extremely hard to make ends meet ... we have stopped buying products such as meat or butter. Believe me, fruit is now off limits in most houses," lamented Sengul Yasdag, a 58-year-old pensioner told Xinhua.

According to the retiree, after a broad 50-percent mid-year pension raise was enacted in Türkiye, living on 3,600 Turkish liras (194.40 U.S. dollars) of monthly pension was still far from being enough for her basic needs.

"It's embarrassing, but now when I go to the neighborhood market, I ask for half a kilo of vegetables," she said, adding she expected the predicaments would not quell in the upcoming months.

With surging inflation, new price increases are set to be put into practice in Türkiye, a country that is heavily dependent on imports and swamped with economic woes unseen in decades.