Price of Four Essential Commodities Increased by Order of Raisi Government
Despite a significant increase in the prices of essential commodities ranging from 21 to 64 percent over the past year, the Iranian government officially increased the prices of four essential commodities including chicken, eggs, oil, and dairy products and their subcategories.
According to ISNA’s report on Thursday, May 12, according to an announcement by the country’s Market Regulation Headquarters, the price of each kilogram of chicken will be 59,800 tomans and each kilogram of eggs will be 39,800 tomans.
This price increase comes despite the fact that fresh chicken prices over the past solar year increased by at least 21 percent to 30,500 tomans per kilogram, and egg prices also increased by 53 percent to around 25,000 tomans per kilogram.
According to the report, in the official price increase of essential commodities, the price of 810-gram liquid oil will reach 63,000 tomans, and in dairy products, the price of 900-gram bagged milk will be 15,000 tomans, 1-liter low-fat pasteurized milk will be 18,000 tomans, 2.5-kilogram low-fat yogurt container will be 49,800 tomans, and 400-gram relatively fatty cheese will be 37,000 tomans.
This comes as the dairy product group has experienced price increases between 24 to 64 percent over the past year up to Farvardin of this year, including low-fat pasteurized milk which reached 12,300 tomans and is now announced at 18,000 tomans.
The government claims that following the elimination of preferential exchange rates and the increase in cash subsidies being deposited into the accounts of some income deciles, it wants to “reform the subsidy payment system” and thereby “prevent major corruption and abuse that has taken place by many importers of essential commodities.”
However, following the gradual elimination of subsidies given to importers of essential commodities, prices of many essential commodities have increased dramatically, including the price of flour which increased 13 times in one week.
Yesterday, even some domestic Iranian media reported that chicken prices have reached 64,000 tomans per kilogram and egg prices have reached 98,000 tomans per kilogram.
The wave of public concern about the sharp rise in prices has even led Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of Parliament who is himself considered a government official, to acknowledge to the Ibrahim Raisi government that “people are deeply upset.”
Nevertheless, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, one day after this critical acknowledgment of the government’s economic policies, called the policies “important” and voiced his support for them.
The increase in inflation rates and the continuous and rampant price increases of various commodities and services in Iran have led to widespread protest gatherings in various sectors including teachers, workers, and farmers.
Simultaneously, based on unofficial reports that cannot be independently verified due to internet disruption, several cities in Khuzestan Province have witnessed public protests in recent nights, including protests against inflation and the deterioration of people’s living conditions.
Source: Radio Javan
