The difference between the Istanbul public bread (halk ekmek) and bakeries is just three Turkish liras ($0.10), but such savings add up for many people in the city.
A local official in Istanbul told Rudaw that they have increased the production of halk ekmek by 30 percent this year because of high demand.
"The people's interest in our bread is always high. The price of our bread is half of that sold in the market," Ozgen Nama, chairman of the Public Bread Management Board of Istanbul Municipality, told Rudaw.
“The poor and low-income people of this city always get bread from the municipality. Our bread is healthy, hygienic, and of high quality. We make our bread with machines. We will not increase the price of bread this winter or in January, February and March. We will sell bread to the people for five liras,” he added.
In Istanbul, ten percent of the people's bread demand is produced by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality with 1.8 million loaves made daily across 13 factories in the city.
All over Istanbul, people queue every day at more than 3,500 kiosks across the country's largest metropolitan city.
"When the schools open, the interest in our bread increases. Especially in this period. Of course, the interest is high for economic reasons and because of the quality of the bread," Alev Erdogan Kaya, in charge of a state-run kiosk, said.
People say the subsidized bread program for them is much cheaper.
"The public bread is cheap and does not go stale quickly. It tastes good. Because of the good quality dough, people are more satisfied with this bread," Ali Arslan, a resident of Istanbul said.
"I always get my bread from the state-run kiosks. There are two reasons for my preference; due to my economic situation and the fact that public bread is healthier,” said Ceren Ozturk, an Istanbul local.
Ozden Yılmaz, another resident in Istanbul, echoed the sentiment that the subsidized bread program has helped alleviate financial difficulties on the shoulders of the needy and low-income people.
"My house is close to the kiosks. The price of bread is also cheap. That's why I come here," Yilmaz said.
Turkey is estimated to be one of the countries in the world that eats the most bread. According to researchers, in recent years, due to the economic crisis, the consumption of bread has significantly increased with 200 kilos of bread eaten in a year per individual.
