Statistics Center claims: Prices of bread, meat, dairy products, and oil have only increased by 3 to 14 percent

In its latest monthly report on the country's inflation rate, the Statistical Center of Iran claimed that the prices of red meat, milk, cheese, and eggs increased by about three percent in May compared to April, the prices of bread and cereals by seven percent, and the prices of oil by less than 14 percent.

This is despite the fact that last month the government itself officially increased the price of flour 10 times, the price of oil four times, and the price of milk twice.

The official price of eggs and cheese also increased significantly, with a 30-count basket of eggs reaching 76,000 tomans, a 400-gram package of cheese reaching 38,000 tomans, and the price of chicken reaching 60,000 tomans per kilogram.

Also, while the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IRCC) reported on May 19 that the price of Pakistani rice had increased from 280,000 tomans per bag to 370,000 tomans per bag and red meat from 150,000 tomans per kilo to 175,000 tomans per kilo, the Iranian Statistical Center claimed that the price of red meat had increased by less than three percent in May compared to April.

Iranian officials had promised that the price jump would be limited to dairy, poultry, oil, and flour, but domestic media reports indicate a significant jump in grain prices, with prices of livestock inputs, rice, tea, and other food items increasing 5 to 6 times last month compared to April.

This is while the Statistics Center states that the increase in food and beverage prices in May compared to April this year was only 3.3 percent.

Official statistics from the Islamic Republic have always been questioned by experts. For example, while Iranian officials, the Central Bank, and domestic media report a more than 50 percent increase in housing rents over the course of a year, the Statistics Center of Iran claims a 30 percent increase in housing rents in May this year compared to the same month last year.

This official institution has put housing inflation at only 26 percent.

Annual inflation

In its new report, the Statistical Center of Iran stated that food inflation in the 12 months ending in May was about 49.6 percent compared to the previous similar period (annual inflation), and said that the acceleration of the inflation rate is decreasing every month.

This official institution stated that the annual inflation rate in May was 38.7 percent and said that the inflation rate has been decreasing every month since September last year.

The claim of a slowdown in the inflation rate comes at a time when the dollar rate has soared from 26,000 tomans to over 30,000 tomans since the beginning of this year, and Iranian officials have not explained why the inflation rate has been declining while the Iranian rial has lost 15 percent of its value over the past two months.

Source: Radio Farda