Food price hikes in Türkiye ease for third consecutive month in March

Monthly food inflation in Türkiye slightly declined to 3.25% in March, bringing the annual rate to 29.5% and marking the third consecutive month of easing, the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Türkiye (TEPAV) reported Wednesday.

In February, monthly food inflation stood at 3.7%, with an annual increase of 30.8%.

According to TEPAV data, prices in the fresh fruit and vegetable category showed mixed trends in March. While the prices of lettuce (-14.2%), white cabbage (-12.4%), and spinach (-1.1%) declined, there were sharp increases in the prices of lemons (42.4%), cauliflower (33.8%), and potatoes (32.5%), respectively.

Lemons, which recorded one of the sharpest price hikes in March 2025, are seen at a local market in Türkiye, accessed on April 2, 2025. (Adobe Stock Photo)

Outside the fresh produce group, the largest price hikes were observed in packaged sugar (16.7%), cocoa-based powdered drinks (9.9%), and herbal-fruit teas (8.3%). In contrast, prices fell for cakes (-8.6 %), instant soups (-5.5%), and dried apricots (-5.5%).

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Separately, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC) reported on Tuesday that inflation in Istanbul—Europe’s largest city—saw a modest rise of 3.79% in March, with the annual rate reaching 46.23%.

Türkiye’s official inflation data, regularly released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), showed a continued downward trend in February—the latest available report—with the annual rate dropping to 39.05%, beating market expectations.

TurkStat is scheduled to release the official Consumer Price Index (CPI) for March on April 3.

April 02, 2025 09:43 AM GMT+03:00