People Report Meat Prices Soaring Above One Million Tomans; Continued Media and Industry Officials' Game in Government Team

While Iranian media and industry officials repeat government claims of a decrease in red meat prices in the market, investigations by Voice of America show that red meat prices have crossed one million tomans during the Nowruz holidays, selling for up to one million and 300 thousand tomans depending on quality. In this context, Pejman Mousavi, a journalist and editor of the publication 'Tajrobe,' reported on his Instagram page that the price of lamb stew meat reached one million and 200 thousand tomans, stating: 'I saw one kilogram of lamb stew meat tonight, on the 9th of Farvardin 1403, priced at one million and two hundred thousand tomans.' This Tehran-based journalist emphasized: 'Until tonight, I was aware of the suffering of seeing and not buying, the shame of being unable to provide for my family, the pain of returning home empty-handed, and the agony of empty tables devoid of meat, but tonight I was truly shaken and felt it with all my being.' Mousavi elaborated on the living conditions of people in Iran, recalling a remark by Mostafa Malekian who said: 'I am not worried about my age, modernity, civilization, culture, or any abstract matters. I am concerned about the flesh-and-blood humans who come, suffer, and leave.' On the other hand, the head of the National Livestock Suppliers Council claimed that the price of each kilogram of fresh lamb thigh is 285 thousand tomans and beef shoulder is 275 thousand tomans. This claim by Mansour Pourian was published by the 'Khabar Online' website, which made no reference to market realities. Earlier, on the first days of Farvardin, the state news agency 'IRNA' reported, citing the head of the Livestock Supply Council, about the high volume of frozen and fresh meat imports into the country, stating that this volume of imports was unprecedented. However, market prices vary, as Voice of America's investigations from online stores and price announcement websites indicate that the price of higher-quality meat exceeds one million tomans. On Farvardin 11, 1403, the announced prices for boneless lamb loin were one million and 260 thousand tomans, lamb thigh meat one million and 50 thousand tomans, each kilogram of lamb stew meat one million and 230 thousand tomans, and lamb shoulder one million and 10 thousand tomans. With the rise in meat prices, some old online stores, including Digikala, have stopped selling meat online and removed prices. Earlier, on Farvardin 5, the 'Shargh' network, affiliated with the Shargh newspaper, conducted a field report asking people about their protein consumption and changes in this regard, where the majority of respondents stated that they no longer consider buying meat. According to the Shargh network, 'people's tables have become meatless,' and most people have either removed red meat from their tables or rationed its consumption. According to this media, interviewees reacted to a suggestion from one of the officials who said that people should use fish instead of red meat, stating that such remarks reflect ignorance of their economic conditions, as fish has been removed from people's tables before meat. Meanwhile, an official report from the government statistics center shows that among goods, various types of meat lead in price inflation with a 50.9 percent increase. Some experts and industry activists believe that with the continued downward trend in demand, alongside the depletion of meat production capacity in the country, further inflation in this sector will occur. A 93 percent inflation rate in red meat prices over the past year; loans are needed to buy it. The narrative of people regarding protein consumption; the absence of meat on tables. Market regulation for the New Year and Ramadan is in a coma; the engine of inflation has started. The high-speed locomotive of inflation under President Raisi; the prices of basic goods have risen by up to 290 percent. The inflation rate of food items is 38 percent higher than the annual inflation rate.