According to a survey by Iran’s Parliamentary Research Center, the poverty line for a four-person household in Tehran has risen from 2.5 million tomans to 4.5 million tomans in the last two years, an increase of 80 percent. (Gostaresh, 4 June 2020)
Fruit prices rose 10 percent
The head of the Tehran Fruit and Vegetable Markets Union said: ‘Fruit prices are expected to increase by 10% with the reopening of the halls and the increase in demand for purchases.’
According to the regime’s Khabar Fori website, on 5 June, Mustafa Daraei Nejat, a member of the Fruit and Vegetable Market, said: ‘The price of watermelon has increased by 10 percent compared to last week.’ He announced the current price of 1,200 to 2,500 tomans per kilo of watermelon.
Regarding the impact of the reopening of the halls on the fruit market, Daraei Nejat said: ‘At the same time with the reopening of the reception halls and the increase in demand for purchases, it is expected that the price of fruit will increase by 10%.’
He added: ‘With the reopening of restaurants and the increase in demand for onions and potatoes, the price of each kilogram of the product has increased by 500 tomans compared to previous weeks.’
Darayehnejad announced the arrival of new nectarine fruits in the fruit market and said: ‘Peaches, nectarines, plums, gold drops, cherries, and apricots have already entered the field, which is increasing by 5% due to their novelty.’
Passenger train ticket prices have risen by 20 percent and suburban train tickets by 50 percent
In another move, the regime raised train ticket prices by 20 percent. At the 26 May meeting, the regime’s Transportation Council agreed to a 20 percent increase in the price of passenger train tickets and a 50 percent increase in the price of suburban train tickets.
The price increase is scheduled to take effect on 21 June this year. In June of last year, the Supreme Transport Council agreed to increase the train ticket price by an average of 22 percent. The demand for rail travel has fallen sharply in recent months due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
According to a state media report on 5 June, rail travel has fallen by about 95 percent due to the coronavirus. Despite this, the Transportation Council agreed to a 20 percent increase in passenger train ticket prices due to the economic crisis.
Chocolate prices rise by 15 to 20 percent
The Khabar Fori website wrote on 5 June: ‘The president of the Biscuit, Confectionery and Chocolate Association [Jamshid Maghazei] said that the price of chocolate will increase by 15 to 20 percent due to rising raw material prices, wages and other costs of producing chocolate.’
Regarding the impact of the coronavirus on the chocolate market, he said: ‘With the spread of the coronavirus, decreased purchasing power and closure of guilds, we had a 20 to 30 percent drop in chocolate sales.’
Source » iranfocus