Wheat Pricing on the Path to Crisis; Food Security Threat Alarmed

The government's guaranteed purchase pricing for wheat from farmers has entered a new phase in creating a food security crisis. While the government has set the price at 15,000 tomans for wheat, farmers are demanding an increase to between 20,000 and 23,000 tomans; the failure to meet this demand has led to wheat being sold to brokers and increased smuggling. Trade News has criticized the government's performance in this regard, stating: "If this situation continues, it is not unlikely that the country will face more serious crises and threats in securing wheat and necessary food supplies, and may even be unable to procure this product from other countries." According to this website, with the continuation of government behavior, ultimately, "it is the people who will have to pay the cost of such policies with smaller tables." Mehdi Basharat-Deh, an agricultural economics expert, stated in an interview with Iskanews regarding the announced wheat price and its consequences: "If the wheat price does not increase, we will not witness good days in the wheat market, and in the near future, there will be a severe need for wheat in the country; thus, a shortage of wheat could have irreparable consequences." The non-economic pricing of wheat has ultimately led to a protest from the National Wheat Farmers Foundation, which sent an open letter to Ali Khamenei requesting support for wheat farmers and warning of the consequences of government decisions. The Deputy Chairman of the Agriculture Commission also announced that this commission had sent a letter to Raisi, emphasizing that the guaranteed purchase price of 15,000 tomans for wheat set by the Ministry of Jihad Agriculture is considered illegal, and the commission is calling for a review and a joint meeting to determine the guaranteed price of wheat for the current agricultural year. According to Rahmatollah Noorouzi, "Some brokers and rent-seekers benefit from wheat imports, and we must act in favor of farmers." The Mehr News Agency also reported on May 7, citing farmers, stating: "I sold wheat to a trader for 20,000 tomans per kilogram, who then smuggled it to Iraq for 35,000 tomans per kilogram. Thus, the broker profits as much as the farmer." According to Mehr, "Alongside the booming broker market, some wheat farmers have also stated that they are holding onto their wheat and will sell it to livestock farmers in the fall because they need to buy barley at 20,000 tomans per kilogram; in addition, cultivating wheat at prices lower than 25,000 to 30,000 tomans is not economically justified." Farmers are not selling wheat at the government's proposed price; the report by Rozbeh Bovaleri continues the dispute over the guaranteed purchase price of wheat; a member of parliament states: The pricing council is "obliged" to hold a meeting; the Dairy Farmers' Guild states: Milk at 15,000 tomans per kilogram is not profitable; the government's insistence on the approved price and the continued opposition of wheat farmers; the meeting to "reassess the wheat price" was not held; the bread controversy in Iran; stone bread in-person 5,000 tomans, online 25,000 tomans; government price: 15,000 tomans for each kilogram of wheat; farmers are not selling; the "multi-price" bread is a new problem for the people in Iran.