Government spokesman elaborates on bread price rise

Tehran, Dec 1, IRNA – Government spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht in a press conference after the cabinet ministers' session elaborated on the increase in price of bread up to 30% in different provinces. He said the government has made no decision on raising the bread price and will pay the subsidy to wheat cultivators as before. Pointing to government efforts in supporting bread consumers and producers, he said the government in an effort to put bread at the disposal of consumers at proper price pays subsidies for wheat every year. Nobakht who is also Vice-President for Planning and Strategic Supervision said this year an amount of 70 thousand billion rials has been allocated as wheat subsidy. He said the government will continue paying wheat subsidy at 6650 rials per kilo to flour factories and bakeries but at the same time allows bakeries to increase bread price by 30% in different provinces and in accordance with provincial necessities to compensate for the increase in side expenses. Nobakht expressed hope that complaints about quality of bread or its weight will be reduced and noble bakers who are among the toiler class of the society will not sustain losses. He said paying subsidy to farmers has resulted in cultivating the crop inside the country instead of importing it from other countries, adding that next year each kilo of wheat will be bought from cultivators at 11500 rilas. The official further remarked that the decision of the government concerning bread has been conveyed to provinces and soon they can enforce it a price increase of up to 30%. Stressing that the Organization for Protection of Consumers and Producers will supervise over implementation of the decision, he said all should make efforts to prevent any loss either to the consumers or to the suppliers./end