Reactions on social media to the Minister of Agriculture's statements about the high price of meat in Iran
The response of the Iranian Minister of Agriculture regarding the high price of chicken and meat on an Islamic Republic television program sparked controversy and has drawn many reactions from users on social media.
Mahmoud Hojjati, Iran's Minister of Agriculture, said on a television program on Saturday, February 27, in response to a question about the reason for the high price of chicken and meat in Iran, "With the current conditions, we must first thank God that (chicken and meat) exist."
The Minister of Agriculture of the Islamic Republic continued by saying that we must accept that we are governing the country in difficult circumstances.
One user, reacting to Hojjati's statements and criticizing his tone, said: "The minister's point is that thank God you can see chicken and meat from behind the display case... it may not be the same later."
Minister of Agriculture reacts to the high price of chicken and meat: Thank God it is there!
I guess what he means is that you thank God that you can see chicken and meat from behind the display case and you don't remember what it looks like. It might not be the same later!
Your smile is embarrassing, Mr. Minister pic.twitter.com/5A5BcgsC2S
— Usuallam (@usuallam) January 27, 2019
Another user wrote, "We breathe thanks to God," and another user reacted to the Islamic Republic's Minister of Agriculture's statements as follows:
Currently, the Minister of #Agriculture is responding to a question from the host of #Nagh_Yak regarding the increase in the prices of some public goods, such as meat.
“People should thank God that he exists”
P.N.: Be grateful that #Ihlanas exists , even if it is only for the rich and not for you.
— OstadKaveh (@OstadKaveh) January 26, 2019
Another Twitter user also posted a photo of a municipal worker warming himself next to a fried chicken machine, sarcastically writing: "Giving thanks for the existence of chicken warmers in the country."
Giving thanks for the warmth of chickens in the country #Minister_of_Agriculture pic.twitter.com/pfpm4n59Jg
— Dark Gray (@MrDarkGray) January 27, 2019
Another user wrote on Twitter:
Why are chicken and meat so expensive? Minister of Agriculture: #Thank_God_for_it
Theft and corruption: #Thank_God_for_existence
Expensiveness and misery: #Thank_God_for_existence
Irresponsible and ineffective managers: #Thank_God_for_being— Mr. Louka Toni (@Loukatonii) January 27, 2019
High prices and inflation hit the meat market
People's dissatisfaction with the prices of goods, especially the multiple increase in basic items, including chicken and meat, comes at a time when, according to the Statistics Center of Iran, the point-to-point inflation rate (comparing the prices of goods and services to the same month last year) was close to 40 percent in January of this year.
Also, the "meat" group had the highest price increase in January of this year compared to the previous month, so that mutton in January of this year was sold at about 70,000 tomans per kilogram, a 70 percent increase compared to the same month last year.
Officials disagree about the cause of meat prices
Previously, some officials in the Islamic Republic had stated that the increase in meat smuggling was one of the reasons for the increase in its price, an issue that has been denied by the law enforcement forces, but at the same time, the Iranian judiciary is calling for a strict legal response to it.
On Monday, February 29, Sadegh Larijani, head of Iran's judiciary, referred to the smuggling of meat and other items and said that prosecutors across the country should "strictly" deal with the smuggling of essential goods as well as such brokering and not allow some people to profit during this difficult time.
Although Larijani did not explicitly mention "execution", according to judicial laws in the Islamic Republic, the most severe legal punishment is "execution".
Recently, with the increasing economic crises in Iran and the rising price of foreign currency and the dollar in the market, the judiciary issued death sentences for economic defendants who, they said, had caused "disruption in the economic system."
The economic turmoil in Iran, which has increased in recent months, especially after US sanctions, has led to popular protests and various groups, including workers, teachers, and cultural retirees. Protests that have been accompanied by security clashes and arrests of protesters by the Islamic Republic government.
Source: Voice of America
