With the announcement of the new price for raw milk by Mohammad Reza Aref, the First Vice President of the Iranian regime, the price of raw milk increased by 20%, reaching 181,000 rials per kilogram (approximately $0.3).
According to Iranian media, the previous price for raw milk was 150,000 rials per kilogram (approximately $0.25), and one of the first promises of the Minister of Agriculture was to “settle” this price.
The increase in the price of raw milk had been approved months ago, but the government had delayed its implementation due to rising bread prices. Finally, the new price was applied in the market.
As a result, a price increase in dairy products is also expected.
On September 17th, the chairman of the Dairy Products Union reported a 25% increase in dairy product prices due to the 20% rise in raw milk prices.
However, Ali-Ehsan Zafari warned that higher dairy prices would not benefit producers, but instead lead to reduced consumption, which would result in lower production and profitability.
He emphasized that if these price increases continue, the consumption of dairy products among the public will decrease.
The repeated rise in milk and dairy prices in Iran in recent years has drastically reduced the per capita consumption of these essential items.
On April 17th, Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper reported that, according to the latest statistics, per capita dairy consumption had dropped to 40-50 kilograms.
The state-run ISNA news agency also reported on June 1st that global per capita milk consumption exceeds 150-160 kilograms, with some countries reaching up to 200-300 kilograms, criticizing the sharp decline in milk and dairy consumption in Iran.
The rising cost of living and the significant gap between income and expenses have led a large portion of the population to remove many food items from their diets.
The shift in food consumption patterns due to inflation has increased the share of low-quality and unhealthy items in the diet of the middle and lower-income segments of society.
Meanwhile, the rise in bread prices has sparked significant protests. In addition, the Pezeshkian government is likely to raise fuel prices as well.
A 14% Increase in Dairy Prices Confirmed in Iran
Following the recent 20% increase in the price of raw milk, the Secretary of the Dairy Industry Association announced a forthcoming 14% rise in dairy prices.
Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported this news quoting Reza Bakeri, the Secretary of the Dairy Industry Association, who, in response to the decline in dairy consumption, wrote: “We must consider whether protein products will be available to people at lower prices or not.”
According to Bakeri, if the price change of other protein products surpasses that of dairy, people will shift towards consuming those instead.
In this regard, the chairman of the Dairy Products Union reported a 25% rise in dairy prices due to the 20% increase in raw milk prices on September 17th.
The shift in food consumption patterns due to inflation has increased the share of low-quality and unhealthy items in the diet of the middle and lower-income groups.
