The inflation rate for food items is 38%, higher than the annual inflation rate, according to published statistics.
A report by the regime’s Jamaran website on February 29 indicated that canned tuna was at the top of the list of items experiencing higher inflation than the annual rate.
Based on the report, after tuna, other food items such as beef or veal, lamb meat, mushrooms, raisins, rainbow trout, watermelon, cantaloupe, processed chicken, powdered milk, pistachios, walnut kernels, packaged foreign tea, sugar, dry sweets, walnut kernels, sugar, and oranges have prices exceeding the average annual inflation rate of 36%.
According to Jamaran, within the “Dairy, Egg, and Various Oils” group, the highest price increase compared to the previous month was related to “dry milk” with 9.3%, and “pasteurized butter” with 1.1%.
In the red meat, white meat, and their products group, “rainbow trout” with 3.2%, “lamb meat” with 2.9%, and “canned tuna” with 2% had the highest price increases compared to the previous month.
Additionally, the state-run Tajarat News website reported that the Iranian Statistical Center published consumer price index data for February, showing that over the 12 months ending in February, the prices of all 10 subgroups related to food and beverages have been on an upward trend.
As a result, the inflation rate for food in February was recorded between 22% and 93%, surpassing the annual average inflation rate of this group, which reached 45.1%, exceeding the overall average inflation rate by 2.6%.
The severe inflation of essential goods has led to a decrease in their purchase by citizens, and these items have been either excluded or significantly reduced from the usual monthly shopping basket of most Iranian households.
Meanwhile, the CEO of the Livestock Union stated on February 26th that, based on official statistics indicating an “18% decrease” in the livestock population in January compared to the same month last year, the production situation is not favorable.
On this basis, the “price growth of meat” in February was not limited to red meat, and fish meat also experienced a considerable price increase, registering a “64% inflation rate” and securing the second position in price increases.
At the same time, “fruits and dried fruits” also experienced inflation “over 50%” in February, with an average price increase of “51%.”
Earlier, Hamidreza Emamgholitabar, an inspector of the Supreme Council of Workers’ Representatives, had stated that in the current conditions, the poverty line for a family of four has exceeded 250 million rials (approximately $425). The minimum monthly wage for married workers with children in the current year is about 80 million rials (approximately $136).
Two groups, “sweets and milk, cheese, and eggs,” have become “35% more expensive” to the final consumer over the 12 months ending in February. The inflation in “vegetables and legumes” has also reached 35%, so they do not lag other calculated items.
According to Tajarat News, only two commodity groups (oils and fats – bread and cereals) have inflation “less than 35%,” and these two groups have previously set records for price hikes, likely having experienced inflation before.
The regime’s Eco Iran economic website had announced in a report on Feb 25 that the “Index of Misery” in the country was equal to “52 units” in the fall of 2023.
The regime’s Etemad had previously written that the “minimum daily wage” for the labor community has reached “about 1,770,000 rials (approximately$3)” for this year, indicating a “high gap” with the purchasing power of a wide spectrum of goods in Iran.
