Mustafa Bayram, an associate professor of Engineering Faculty at Gaziantep University, said the increase in the consumption of imported rice causes people to use less bulgur.
Mustafa Bayram, an associate professor of Engineering Faculty at Gaziantep University, said that there is a great difficulty and loss in bulgur sector because of the lack of technological development as the mode of production is changed from traditional to the industrial production in production. Saying that Turkey is the top producer of bulgur in the world, Bayram pointed out that "The production of bulgur is 2.5 times more than the pasta production on an industrial level. The annual bulgur consumption in Turkey per person is 12 kilograms and in the eastern region this figure reaches to 23 kilograms."
Bayram said that the economic value of bulgur together with the production amount continues to increase with years and with the recognition of bulgur in abroad, there will be a significant increase in exports. "When compared to bread, pasta and rice, the price of bulgur per kilo is cheaper," he said.
Bayram noted that bulgur caught the attention of the world because of its high nutritional value, easy storage, long shelf life and resistance to insect damages; he added: "In order to use bulgur and to provide aid to underdeveloped countries, the United States produces bulgur according to fabrication procedures. Additionally, because of its resistance to radiation and its stand-alone nutrition feature, bulgur is among food being stocked in the United States. When compared to the price of pasta and rice, the price of bulgur is much less, and bulgur provides a good feed alternative for those families with lower income."
Saying that bulgur and rice are in the same consumption class, and they can even be considered as substitutes, Bayram stated that "Rice consumption was 3 kilograms per capita in the 1980s, but rose to 7.5 kilograms today. However, the extra amount in the consumption of rice is not met from Turkey; it is met by imported rice. The increase of consumption in rice causes people to consume less bulgur."