Secretary of Rice Importers Association: Only 15 Million Iranians Can Afford to Buy Rice
The secretary of the rice importers association says only 15 million people in Iran who are “making ends meet” have the means and ability to purchase rice.
Masih Keshavarz said on Monday, May 3rd, in an interview with Hamshahri newspaper, that there has also been a significant decline in rice imports.
Recently, ISNA news agency reported that the price of imported rice at the beginning of the current year compared to the same period last year has grown by up to 150 percent; in other words, it has become two and a half times more expensive. According to the report, the price of each kilogram of Iranian rice has exceeded 42,000 tomans, and foreign rice has also crossed the 30,000 toman threshold.
Mr. Keshavarz says that the increase in rice prices has resulted in “at most 15 million people who are making ends meet being able to afford this nutritious product.”
Referring to the significant growth in imported rice prices, he said that importing Indian rice has no economic justification, since the cost price of Indian rice in the market has become very close to Iranian rice, and many consumers of Indian rice, at current prices, can no longer afford to buy it.
He stated that the amount of rice imports last year was 870,000 tons and said that compared to 2019, rice imports have been cut in half.
However, customs statistics show that rice imports last solar year were slightly over one million tons, worth approximately 925 million dollars, ranking second among major imported goods. But even this figure shows a 40 percent decline in rice imports last year compared to 2019.
Regarding the reason for the sharp decline in rice imports, Mr. Keshavarz said that demand for imports has sharply decreased due to “currency payment problems and dollar inflation.”
Reuters news agency also reported last month that due to Iran’s declining rupee reserves, Indian companies and traders are unwilling to sign new contracts with Iran for the export of food items such as sugar, rice, and tea.
Statistics from India’s Ministry of Economics for the first two months of the current year also show that this country’s total exports to Iran compared to the corresponding period in 2020 have declined by approximately 60 percent, reaching 202 million dollars.
Mr. Keshavarz said that rice, after wheat, is the second most strategic commodity in the country, and with rice prices rising, households resort to bread consumption: if bread also becomes expensive, there is a danger of malnutrition for a large portion of society.
He says the country is “seriously” facing currency problems.
Source: Radio Farda
