Zamaneh Media
  • Latest Articles
  • Latest News
  • About Zamaneh Media
    • Exiled Media Report
    • Sponsors
    • Donate
    • Contact us
    • Legal
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest Articles
  • Latest News
  • About Zamaneh Media
    • Exiled Media Report
    • Sponsors
    • Donate
    • Contact us
    • Legal
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Zamaneh Media
No Result
View All Result

Winter Solstice Celebration in Iran and Rising Prices of Food

by Zamaneh Media
December 22, 2018
in Featured Items, Latest Articles
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Winter Solstice Celebration in Iran and Rising Prices of Food

Iran’s food industry is under severe stress. Organizations representing food producers and manufacturers report a severe shortage of raw materials as well as cash flow adding that this could lead to the closure of many food-related production units.

Yalda Night Shopping in Iran on 20 Dec 2018

Meanwhile, as Iranians are celebrating winter solstice known as Yalda night, citizens are complaining about the rising prices of food items that are famous for consumption on this night: namely pomegranate, watermelon, as well as dried nuts and fruits.

Donya-ye Eghtesad, Iran’s leading economy newspaper has compared the prices of good between Yalda night of 2017 and Yalda night of 2018.

Pomegranate prices saw a 29% increase and were selling for around 10-20 thousand tomans per one kilogram. Red apples saw an increase of almost 78%, watermelon 50%, oranges 40%, baklava and most pastries between 100 to 130%, pistachio, almonds and other nuts between 150 to 215%.

Producers have been pressing the government to issue them permits to further raise prices. However, the rising price of food products rather than remedy the situation has led to a fall in consumption.

While the US sanctions do not directly target transactions involving food, they have affected the Iranian food industry and security. The new round of US economic sanctions on Iran led to a sharp fall in the value of the Iranian Rial which led the government to issue a ban on the import of some commodity items. Part of Iranian oil exports is being paid for in kind.

Rice farmers are demanding that the government stop the import of rice. But the government has not heeded this demand as India is one of Iran’s chief oil customers and they do not want to jeopardize trade relations by limiting the import of Indian rice.

Chairman of the Union of Food Distribution and Sales Cooperatives has raised the alarm about recession in the food industry. Mehdi Karimi states that the rise in the price of imported materials for food production will lead to the elimination of many jobs in this sector. He believes the government can support the industry by providing foreign currency at lower exchange rates to producers and by increasing the areas of arable land.

However, it is questionable whether it is even possible for the Iranian government to increase agricultural land in order to meet its food needs. Iran has been facing a serious water crisis, with many water resources drying out and straining agricultural activities all across the country. The water crisis is making Iran more and more dependent on imported food.

Meanwhile, the fall in the value of the national currency has made the price of imported goods skyrocket, with the Islamic Republic’s Statistics Center announcing an inflation rate of 49.5% on food items in November. This has resulted in a serious reduction in the purchasing power of the people who are clearly opting to cut off many items from their shopping lists.

The new round of US sanctions on Iran kicked in on November 4. The US government has announced that it aims to bring Iran’s export of oil down to zero. They insist that food and drugs are not under sanction. However, it is evident that the adverse effects of the sanctions on the people’s jobs in the food industry and their access to food in the country have been immediate.

Tags: food pricesYalda
Previous Post

Khuzestan Security Authorities Pressure Arrested and Protesting Workers

Next Post

Tortured Iranian Labor Activist Demands Accountability from the Government

Related Posts

Protests over Price Hikes in Iran Spread to Several Cities
Latest Articles

Protests over Price Hikes in Iran Spread to Several Cities

May 14, 2022
Civil Activists Arrested in Iran
Latest Articles

Civil Activists Arrested in Iran

May 9, 2022
Iran Detains Swedish Tourist in Suspected Retaliation
Featured Items

Iran Detains Swedish Tourist in Suspected Retaliation

May 6, 2022
Featured Items

ISNA: Swedish-Iranian professor to be executed in May

May 4, 2022
Latest Articles

Tensions between Iran and Sweden following the possibility of life imprisonment for a former Iranian official

May 2, 2022
Wage Suppression, Labor Strikes and Crackdown on Protests in Iran: Zamaneh’s Annual Labor Report is Out
Latest Articles

Wage Suppression, Labor Strikes and Crackdown on Protests in Iran: Zamaneh’s Annual Labor Report is Out

April 27, 2022

RSS Iran in Other Media

  • Hegemony’s Plans Frustrated by Iran: Leader - Tasnim News Agency May 25, 2022
  • IAEA at 'very difficult juncture' with Iran on unanswered questions - The Jerusalem Post May 25, 2022
  • Daily Briefing May 25: Bennett claims victory on Iran’s Guard & Turkey’s FM flies in - The Times of Israel May 25, 2022
  • Iran said to have utilized internal IAEA papers to cover up nuclear activity - The Times of Israel May 25, 2022
  • Iran, Italy Hold Political Talks in Tehran - Tasnim News Agency May 25, 2022
  • Reseal the deal with Iran - Hawaii Tribune-Herald May 25, 2022
  • W. Bush's Iraq/Ukraine slip - same truth as Kerry's 'implode'/'sanctions' Iran slip in 2013 - Press TV May 25, 2022
  • Russia, Iran Tighten Trade Ties Amid US Sanctions, Interfax Says - Bloomberg May 25, 2022
  • Iran Sends A Firefighting Plane To Assist Pakistan - Simple Flying May 25, 2022
  • Iran among world's leading producers of agricultural products: FAO - Tehran Times May 25, 2022
  • Iran U-23 Edges Iraq U-23 in Friendly - Tasnim News Agency May 25, 2022
  • Christian Fischbacher and Hadi Teherani reveal Iran-inspired fabric collection - Dezeen May 25, 2022
  • Iran seeks to fix dust crisis despite Turkish negligence - Tehran Times May 25, 2022
  • Iran Victorious over Thailand at 2022 IWBF Asia Oceania Championships - Tasnim News Agency May 25, 2022
  • Iran Learns Rivals at AFC U-20 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 Qualifiers - Tasnim News Agency May 25, 2022
  • Canada Soccer is paying Iran's team $400K to play in Vancouver, team official says - CBC News May 24, 2022
  • Ghadir: Iran's Mini-Submarines (Thanks to North Korea) - 19FortyFive May 24, 2022
  • Venezuela's Conviasa Launches Airbus A340 Flights To Iran - Simple Flying May 24, 2022
  • Saudi foreign minister says the kingdom's hands are 'stretched out' to Iran - CNBC May 24, 2022
  • Analysis: Subtle shift in U.S. rhetoric suggests new Iran approach - Reuters.com May 24, 2022
Zamaneh Media

© 2020 Zamaneh Media

More information

  • Sponsors
  • Donate
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Legal

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest Articles
  • Latest News
  • About Zamaneh Media
    • Exiled Media Report
    • Sponsors
    • Donate
    • Contact us
    • Legal
  • Advertise

© 2020 Zamaneh Media