Bakers Complaining About Poor Economic Conditions; 'Don't Argue With Us, You're Right'

Following the bread crisis in various cities across the country and rising tensions in bakeries, a baker has expressed his grievances to customers by posting a note on the glass of his bakery. According to images shared on social media, part of this letter states: 'As bakers, we are going through our worst times and are suspected daily by the media and the government.' Another section of the letter reads: 'Dear bakers are even struggling to obtain flour and are no longer able to provide quality bread, and interestingly, the price of dry bread is higher than that of hot bread.' The situation regarding the supply and distribution of bread in Iran made headlines yesterday as well. The ILNA news agency reported on July 19 that the lack of flour in Mazandaran is the main reason for the closure of bakeries and the lack of bread production, and the limited baking of bread or the 'unplanned' and 'arbitrary' closure of bakeries these days under the pretext of improper flour distribution has caused people to wander in search of bread. In recent months, obtaining bread has become one of the daily challenges for people. Professional associations attribute the problems to the reduction of flour quotas for bakeries, while government officials claim it is part of the smart subsidy reform for bread. In this context, economist Mohammad Machin-Chian stated in an interview with VOA: 'The bread crisis is the result of half a century of incorrect policies of a corrupt and state-run economy.' According to Machin-Chian, the government's focus on subsidies has led to increased bread waste and turned bakeries into flour brokerage businesses. This economist told VOA that we are witnessing 'widespread organized corruption in the supply, production, and distribution chain that has influenced decisions in this area.' On July 13, alongside long queues and reduced bread supply in various cities, a new issue was raised by officials, and authorities announced that a scenario for increasing bread prices is under consideration. State media also reported on bakers' complaints about the low price of bread and high costs. Mohammad Jalal, spokesperson for the smart subsidy plan for flour and bread, announced in an interview with 'News Network' that the government plans to restore the economy and compensate for bakers' income gaps, stating that bakers' subsidies have increased from 30% to 40%. However, the head of the Tehran Bakers' Union emphasized that given the rising production costs, it is not possible to expect improvements in conditions with this level of subsidy. Bread is on the path to becoming more expensive; the scenario for price increase is under review. A member of the Chamber of Commerce stated: 'The command economy has rendered Iran's economy inefficient.' The Ministry of Economy stated that bread will not become more expensive this year; bakers argue that it is not profitable at the current price. The Raisi government's defense of the 15,000 Toman wheat purchase price; Iraqi brokers buy at double the price. Wheat smuggling has intensified, and bakery flour quotas have been reduced by 60%; the 'red alert' for bread has been sounded. The bread controversy in Iran; Sangak bread costs 5,000 Toman in-store, 25,000 Toman online. The 'multiple pricing' of bread is a new problem for people in Iran.