Close to 15,000 workers have been thrown out of work since 325 fertilizer factories closed down due to the unregulated import of Chinese fertilizers, says the president of the Association of Fertilizer Producers.
Sayyad Farhadi slammed the government’s handling of fertilizer imports and reported that a lack of good management has left farmers with a severe shortage.
He added that the government was supposed to provide farmers with 1.8 million tons of fertilizer but has failed to do so.
Meanwhile, ILNA announced that 70 workers at cotton fiber factories in Abhar have been laid off after five months with no pay.
Another 150 workers were laid off at the Dorna Milk Factory in Varamin.
Ever since government subsidies were cut, factories have run into severe cash shortages as they faced a sudden spike in their energy and utility bills.
The government was supposed to redirect 30 percent of what it saved by cutting subsidies back into the manufacturing sector; however, factories maintain that the government has failed to do so.
Parliament has confirmed that the government spent only one-eighth of what it was supposed to in the manufacturing sector.
Iran’s dairy, petrochemical, gas and oil, textile and power industries have suffered gravely in the past year due to the cutting of subsidies and the lack of adequate investment.
