Turkish Cypriots braced themselves for a second day of public protest on Thursday, as the falling Turkish Lira continues to create havoc in the north.
Stockbreeders continued were they had left off with their demonstration on Wednesday, blocking roads leading to the Turkish Cypriot agriculture office in north Nicosia.
Tensions rose between demonstrators and police outside the building with farmers throwing stones at windows and trying to enter the premises.
Turkish Cypriot media said the stockbreeders are not willing to back down.
Head of the Turkish Cypriot Stockbreeders’ Union Mustafa Naimoglulari said his members have parked their tractors near the agriculture office and will not to move them until the issue is resolved. Stockbreeders are demonstrating over the increase in the price of barley which is continuously rising as a result of the crashing Turkish Lira.
Talks with the head of Turkish Cypriot agricultural affairs Erkut Sahali and public finances chief Serdar Denktash had fallen through on Wednesday night.
Sahali said that the authorities in the north have up until now absorbed all increases in the price of barley which amount to a total of TRY 40 mln (EUR 5.7 mln) but cannot do so any longer.
“I do understand the pressure you are under with the falling Turkish Lira, as I know that all your expenses are indexed to the dollar and your earnings are in TRY. However, if I knew that my resignation would lead to a drop in the value of the dollar, I would have handed it in yesterday,” said Sahali.
Animal breeders are demanding the authorities fix the price of barley at TRY 1.10 (EUR 0.15), while the ruling coalition is proposing to fix it at TRY 1.15 (EUR 0.21) per kilo, with a 0.10 monthly increase until the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the Union Platform (Sendikal Platform) is organising a demonstration to demand the restart of negotiations for the solution of the Cyprus Problem.
The platform sees a direct link between the economic crisis hitting the north with the collapse of the Turkish Lira and the ongoing division of the island.
It has dubbed Thursday’s demo as a “rally in defence of the community”.
Sener Elcil head of primary education teachers (KTOS) said the platform submitted to Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci a package of 90 proposed measures to deal with the economic crisis.
He, however, added: “Any measures to be taken will only be temporary, the real issue is the continuation of the Cyprus problem. The Cyprus problem is of the utmost importance and must be resolved as soon as possible”.
