Price of Bread Rises by Sixty-five Percent in Ardabil

Provincial government authorities in Ardabil, northwestern Iran, have increased the price of bread by 65 percent, despite the fact that government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht had previously announced the increase would be 30 percent.

Speaking to Sabalaneh website, Javad Zanjani, governor of Ardabil, justified the rise: "Due to the fact that the price of bread has not increased over the last three years and has remained stable, despite the overall increase in 2012 and 2013, a rise of 65 percent will be applied from Monday," adding that the measures were being taken to support bakers, who had in turn faced rising costs.

“This comes at a time when the government is promising a slow down in the increase in prices and the Central Bank announced the inflation rate had fallen to 20 percent,” reported Sabalaneh.

"Will salaries increase more than the inflation rate?” the article asked. “How can we pay for a three-fold increase in bread prices? Bread plays a more important role in low-income households than it does in the households of well-off groups. A rise of 50 tomans for lavash bread and 200 tomans in Barbari and Sangak breads could be devastating for them."

The governor’s own website also tried to alleviate the public’s concerns, issuing a statement similar to the one published on the Sabalaneh website.

"Ardabil bakers have complained about the rise in energy and labor prices, saying the price of bread could not cover the costs,” Zanjani’s website said. “Therefore, we have decided to adjust the prices to maintain the quality and quantity of bread in Ardabil."

Zanjani insisted that the price of bread in Ardabil was still lower than in other provinces, and warned shops not to sell the bread at a higher price than that set by the provincial government. 

Read the original Persian article