VOA新闻杂志2022--成本上升损害了土耳其烟草业

Rising Costs Hurt Turkey’s Tobacco Industry

Tobacco is one of Turkey's top agricultural products. But some of the country's tobacco farmers say rising operating costs linked to inflation¹ are cutting deeply into their profits.

In the tobacco growing area of Celikhan in the country's southeast, farm worker Mehmet Emin Calkan said people are struggling and "don't have much to live on."

Calkan is 19 years old and hopes to go to university to study electronic engineering². But for now, he works³ in the fields. He told the Associated Press he sometimes works until 9 p.m. Calkan said he needs to work long days to help his family pay for the books he needs to prepare for the university entrance exam.

The man who runs the tobacco farm is Ismail Demir. He said he is not making as much money this year because fertilizer⁴ is so costly⁵. Fertilizer is a chemical that helps plants grow.

Other costs are high, too, such as the diesel⁶ fuel he puts into his vehicle to drive to the fields. Last year he spent about $3 to drive to work. Now it costs about $16 to travel the same distance.

The difficulties the farm owner and his worker are experiencing are happening in other industries across Turkey. The country is facing economic problems driven in part by inflation and weak currency valuations.

The Turkish government announced Monday that inflation rose nearly 84 percent from a year earlier. That is the country's highest increase in 24 years. It is also the highest among the world's 20 largest economies. Independent experts say the country's actual inflation rate is much higher. The Inflation Research Group has estimated⁷ the rate is about 186 percent.

The largest increases are costs for transportation, food and non-alcoholic drinks.

Some countries are seeing price increases because of economic slowdowns related⁸ to the COVID-19 pandemic and the invasion⁹ of Ukraine by Russia.

But economists¹⁰ who study Turkey say the country's economic problems are mostly linked to financial policy mistakes made by the government.

For example, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he believes higher costs for borrowing money leads to higher prices. Most economists, however, believe the opposite is true. But because of the president's pressure, the Turkish central bank has lowered the cost of borrowing.

When the bank recently lowered the cost of borrowing by one percent, to 12 percent, it weakened¹¹ Turkey's money, the lira. The currency has lost more than 50 percent of its value since 2021.

Erdogan is up for election¹² in June 2023. He has said his government is centering on measures aimed at increasing exports and driving economic growth. Such policies have already helped save 10 million jobs, the president claims.

In a recent speech, Erdogan said the interest rate "has to go down further." He suggested this will cause inflation to drop as well.

The Turkish government has put a number of policies in place to help people deal with inflation. It increased the minimum¹³ wage, put in a limit on rent increases and reduced taxes on energy bills. But even with the policies, people are having trouble keeping up with basic living costs, also called expenses.

Another tobacco grower in Celikhan is Ibrahim Suna. He said he is currently¹⁴ struggling to support his family. "Tobacco is our only means of living, and we have no other income," Suna said. He has five children.

Suna said he expects to earn about $5,400 this year from a harvest of 400 kilograms of tobacco. But, he noted¹⁵, "half of it will go to expenses."

Words in This Story

currency –n. money used by a country

minimum wage –n. the lowest amount of money per hour permitted to be paid to workers according to law

rent –n. money that you pay in return for being able to use property and especially to live in an apartment that belongs to someone else

1 inflation   

n.胀大，夸张，通货膨胀

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• The inflation of the airbed took several minutes.给空气床垫充气花了几分钟时间。

2 engineering   

n.工程，工程学，管理，操纵

参考例句：

• The science of engineering began as soon as man learned to use tools. 人类一学会使用工具,工程科学就开始了。
• It was the first great engineering works in the world. 这是世界上第一家大型的工程工厂。

3 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

4 fertilizer   

n.肥料，化肥

参考例句：

• Fertilizer enriches the soil.肥料使土壤肥沃。
• Get some more fertilizer for the garden.给花园再多施些肥料。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

7 estimated   

adj．根据估计的

参考例句：

• She estimated the breadth of the lake to be 500 metres. 她估计湖面大约有500米宽。
• The man estimated for the repair of the car. 那人估算了修理汽车的费用。

8 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

9 invasion   

n.入侵，侵略，侵犯

参考例句：

• They are ready against the possible invasion.他们防备可能的入侵。
• It is our duty to shield our country from invasion.保卫祖国不受侵犯是我们的责任。

10 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 weakened   

adj.虚弱的v.（使）削弱， （使）变弱( weaken的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The team has been weakened by injury. 这个队因伤实力减弱。
• In his weakened condition, he is very susceptible to cold. 他身体很弱，因此很容易患感冒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 election   

n.选举，选择权；当选

参考例句：

• There is no doubt but that he will win the election.毫无疑问，他将在竞选中获胜。
• The government will probably fall at the coming election.在即将到来的大选中，该政府很可能要垮台。

13 minimum   

adj.最低的，最小的；n.最小量，最低限度

参考例句：

• What is the minimum price?最低价是多少？
• Today's minimum temperature is 10℃.今天的最低气温是10℃。

14 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

15 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。