Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry suspended the export of butter and cream, effective from April 18, to circumvent any possible food shortage due to a possible contraction in supply.

The country exported a total of 3.154 tons of butter in 2021, according to the information obtained from the ministry, while the export figure this year reached 3.874 tons only in January and February.

Butter prices hover around $5,400-$5,500 per ton (TL 79,021-TL 80,480) in Turkey, $6,000 in the United States and $6,850-$6,900 in Oceania.

The Ministry said the suspension is to avoid food security problems due to the upcoming tourism season, the shrinking supply that might occur in the second half of this year, and the supply of the depth of stock that the country needs.

The decision will be implemented until the projection and evaluation studies are concluded.