Page 62 - IRANRptJul22

Price of Iranian rice up 95% in a year says government statistical agency
Iran earns nearly $3.9bn from agri-food exports in first nine months of Persian year
The price of Iranian rice has leapt by 95% in the past year, according to a report released by the Statistical Center of Iran (SCI).
The price per kilogram of Iranian rice in the 11th month of the Persian calendar year (ended February 20) also grew by around 20% m/m, the report added. One factor in the steep price hikes is drought, with the government having to step up imports of rice to counter disappointing Iranian rice harvests.
The Iranian rice price has reached Iranian rial (IRR) 760,000 (around $3 at the free market rate), according to the SCI. However, local reports indicate that the actual price encountered by consumers on the market was around IRR1mn. That suggests the price of a kilogram of rice has actually grown by around 200% y/y.
Food prices in Iran have been growing at a much higher rate than official annual general inflation of 42%. Annual rises of around 60% or more are typical, according to government figures.
This will be a big concern for the government as the country prepares to celebrate the Iranian new year on March 20.
Food items subject to hefty inflation include sugar, meat, chicken and eggs, as well as cooking oil.
Iran exported 6.263mn tonnes of agri-food products worth nearly $3.9bn in the first nine months of the current Persian calendar year (March 21-December 21, 2021), Deputy Agriculture Minister Mohammad Ghorbani said in an appearance on state TV.
Pistachio was Iran’s best-selling agrifood product on overseas markets with an export value of nearly $739mn, exports of dates brought in $185mn and fresh apples $169mn, Ghorbani added.
With US sanctions curtailing Iran’s crude oil exports, industries such as agriculture have benefitted from increased state support, with officials conscious of the need to make up for oil revenue losses by generating growth in other sectors.
Across the first three quarters of the Persian year, Iranian farmers exported 795,000 tonnes of watermelons, 617,000 tonnes of fresh or chilled tomatoes, 528,000 tonnes of fresh or chilled potatoes and 284,000 tonnes of onions, shallots and garlic, data from the agriculture ministry also showed.
Figures on livestock and poultry exports recorded shipments of 443,000 tonnes valued at $406mn and exports of fish products weighing 88,000 tonnes with a worth of $159mn.
Separately, the Tehran Times reported the agriculture ministry as saying on January 26 that Iran’s farmed shrimp exports stood at $150mn in value in the Persian year to date.
Iran’s total agricultural output reached 133mn tonnes in the Persian calendar year that ended in late March 2021. Eight years ago, when the country launched a campaign to boost activity in the agriculture sector, the annual volume was only around 90mn tonnes, official data showed.
9.1.9 Electrical appliances sector news
Production of Iranian household appliances up 7.5% in last Persian calendar year
Iran's production of household appliances moved up by 7.56% in the last Persian calendar year (ended March 20), according to Statistical Centre of Iran (SCI) data.
Over the past few years, the Iranian government has pursued a strategy of building up support for domestic production in various non-oil sectors to offset
62 IRAN Country Report July 2022 www.intellinews.com