Student Basij Issues ‘Serious’ Warning to Government: Society is Not Prepared for These Price Increases
The Student Basij issued a statement on Thursday, May 5th, addressed to Ebrahim Raisi, the President, seriously warning him about the possibility of social unrest in Iran.
The “Council for Explaining the Positions of the Student Basij of the Country” wrote in this statement: “Given our extensive network throughout the country, we seriously inform you that society does not have the necessary capacity to tolerate this level of sudden price increases with this degree of lack of planning in implementation.”
In recent days, a dramatic increase in the prices of flour and bread, and consequently pasta, confectionery, and other flour-based products, has fueled concerns and warnings from experts and some parliamentary representatives.
The statement continued: “We inform you that the market disruptions in recent weeks and especially the shocking decision of the Ministry of Agriculture regarding the multiple-fold increase in the price of commercial flour could result in social unrest and disturbances.”
In another section of the statement, the thirteenth government was asked to “refrain from making shocking decisions without convincing public opinion.”
Ebrahim Sayami, Director General of Future Studies, Economic Modeling and Information Management at the Ministry of Economy, announced on Wednesday, May 4th a bread rationing program and its sale by national ID code, saying: “A bread subsidy is registered for each national ID. When people buy bread, they pay the same price as before, and the government pays the difference.”
As Iranian officials have claimed, this program will only include traditional bread.
“A Very Concerning Signal”
According to government statistics, the inflation rate is around 40 percent, but this figure is higher for food products. Nevertheless, reports published in domestic media indicate that rice has faced a 130 percent price increase and legumes a 120 percent increase, while prices of other food products have risen much more than official statistics show.
The “Council for Explaining the Positions of the Student Basij of the Country” wrote in its statement that the prices of various industrial breads, pasta, and other goods that use the commercial flour quota have increased significantly due to the multiple-fold and sudden increase in their flour prices: “This multiple-fold increase, implemented all at once, has dealt a serious shock to the proprietors of extensive shops and industries that until yesterday were using subsidized flour quotas.”
Source: Radio Farda
