Shortages of livestock feed, skyrocketing inflation, and mismanagement in oil sales are driving a severe spike in food prices across Iran.
Iran’s food market is facing a mounting crisis as prices for essential goods continue to surge, fueled by shortages in livestock feed, the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, and rising inflation. Local media outlets attribute the turmoil to failures in managing the country’s staple commodities.
Dairy Prices Soar
On Thursday, December 4, Mehr News Agency described the increase in dairy prices as “unbridled,” reporting that the price of various types of milk rose by around 10,000 tomans in just one week. However, the surge is not limited to dairy products. Cooking oil, for instance, has also joined the ranks of commodities experiencing rapid price increases.
A bottle of 810-gram cooking oil, which was distributed at 69,000 tomans during the first three months of the year, was sold for 139,000 tomans last week—an increase of over 100 percent. Retailers have reportedly limited sales, accepting orders of no more than one carton containing 12 bottles.
Poultry and Livestock Feed Shortages
Despite the official set price of 137,500 tomans per kilogram, chicken is being sold between 148,000 and 155,000 tomans. Habib Asadollah-Nejad, CEO of the Iran Broiler Producers Union, highlighted the challenges in obtaining livestock feed, noting that soy is now being procured at twice the official rate.
Ilna News Agency reports that many poultry farmers can no longer maintain their breeding flocks, leading to premature slaughter and a near halt in chick production. Red meat producers face similar difficulties.
Ahmad Maghdesi, head of the Cattle Breeders Association, told Ilna: “Promises to provide livestock feed remain only words. We cannot obtain enough wheat, corn, and soy for our animals.”
Stalled Imports and Currency Shortages
According to Ilna, Akbar Fathi, Deputy of Planning and Economics at the Ministry of Agriculture, said that while significant volumes of livestock feed have been unloaded at northern and southern ports, a lack of foreign currency has kept them stuck in customs for months. Millions of tons of corn, soybean meal, and soy remain unused, filling warehouses instead of feeding animals—a situation linked directly to the Iranian regime’s struggles in oil sales.
Real oil exports have reportedly dropped from around 1.8 million barrels per day to approximately 1.1 million, leaving over 60 million barrels of Iranian oil stranded at sea. Previously, Hadi Ghavami, vice-chair of the regime Parliament’s Planning and Budget Commission, stated that only one-third of this year’s oil revenue has been realized, translating to a daily loss exceeding 20 million dollars.
With the combination of mismanaged imports, currency shortages, and declining oil revenues, Iran’s essential goods market is under severe strain. Consumers face soaring prices and limited supply, while producers struggle to maintain livestock and sustain production. Experts warn that without urgent change in both currency management and commodity distribution, the crisis is likely to worsen, threatening food security across the country.
