Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 25
By Rahim Zamanov - Trend:
The Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare has confirmed that the country plans to give two food packages to 3.5 million low-income workers, the Mehr News Agency reported on December 25.
The first package is likely to be distributed in February and the second one at the end of the year.
The ministry also announced that an additional 12 million low-income Iranians will also receive the food packages.
It was announced on November 26 that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has ordered the officials to give two packages of food staples to low-income Iranians by the end of the current year (March 20, 2014).
President Rouhani announced the plan in his TV interview on November 26, the Mehr News Agency reported.
The packages will include meat, chicken, rice, and oil.
President Rouhani released a report on the first 100 days of his administration in the live TV interview. In regards to his first move after becoming president, Rouhani mentioned to providing enough food staples for the country.
"When I took the office in the fifth Iranian calendar month of Mordad, the government's pressing concern was the shortage of food staples, especially wheat," he said.
"My first move was to store enough food staples to meet domestic demands," Rouhani added.
The managing director of Iran's State Commerce Company, Abbas Qobadi, said on December 18 that the company has stopped importing rice, sugar, and cooking oil, Fars News Agency reported.
Qobadi, who is also the country' deputy industry, mine, and trade minister, went on to note that Iran has stored enough mentioned items which will last for four to six months.
Iran imported 1.385 million tons of rice worth over $1.61 billion in the first eight months of the current calendar year, which started on March 21.
The figure shows 111 per cent rise compared to the same period of the previous year.
Iran imported 70 per cent of the mentioned volume from India.
Rice tops the list of Iran's imported food staples.
Iran also imported 416,000 tons of soybean oil worth $519 million or 4.65 per cent more than in the previous year.
The country also imported 847,000 tons sugar, which 19 per cent less than last year.