国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Bitter controversy sparked by Turkeys plan to privatize sugar plants_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Bitter controversy sparked by Turkeys plan to privatize sugar plants

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu also harshly criticized the bid, saying the move aims to promote starch-based sugar production, which, according to experts, might trigger cancer cases.

Kilicdaroglu insisted that the move would "affect nearly a million citizens" depending on sugar production to survive.

Cargill produces liquid sugar from genetically modified corns while the use of such sugar is forbidden in some countries, though consumption is rising in Turkey, the CHP leader stated.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party came to power in 2002 against the backdrop of a major economic crisis in 2001, and assured high GDP rates for more than a decade, an economic prosperity which proved to be beneficial especially for poor classes.

Since 2002, many assets worth around 70 billion U.S. dollars were privatized. The government mainly sold the state enterprises in the areas of industry and communications.

The sugar industry, according to specialists, has not been modernized for nearly two decades; despite this fact, they are not operating at a loss, though not making significant profits either.

"Sugar factories should be modernized with new machinery instead of being privatized. They can be rendered more productive and efficient financially," said the head of the Agricultural Engineers Chamber, Ozdemir Gungor, quoted by the local press, calling on the government to reconsider its decision.