Rice prices in Iran increased by "10 to 20 percent" within a week

Following last week's government directive to levy a 9 percent value-added tax on some essential imported household goods, including rice, the price of this product has increased sharply over the past week.

Hassan Taghizadeh, head of the Babol Rice Sellers Union, said in an interview with ILNA news agency on Tuesday, January 4, that the price of rice had increased by 10 to 20 percent last week, and that the supply of this product had also decreased with the increase in rice prices.

According to him, currently producers and farmers have sold their products and 80 percent of the rice produced is in the hands of brokers and large chain stores.

At the same time, Taghi Jafarian, head of the Mazandaran Rice Threshers' Union, told ILNA that rice production has experienced a 40 percent decline this year.

Iranian customs statistics show that from the beginning of the year to the end of December, 958,000 tons of rice worth $818 million were imported, which is a 23 percent increase in weight compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Masih Keshavarz, secretary of the Rice Importers Association, referring to the impact of the value-added tax on imported rice on the price of this product, said that the monthly consumption of foreign rice in the country is 100 to 150 thousand tons.

Source: Radio Farda