Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 9
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Some 40 percent of Iranian dairy plants have been closed down.
Mohammad Reza Esmaeili, managing director of the union of Iranian dairy industries, said that after the implementation of the subsidy reform plan some 40 percent of dairy plants in the country have been closed down, Iran's IRNA news agency reported March 9.
According to statistics, the per capita of dairy products has decreased from 80-100 kilograms to less than 60 kilograms in the country, he said.
A rise in prices of dairy products after the implementation of the subsidy reform plan played a key role in this regard, he noted.
Edited by CN
The subsidy reform plan, which was called "the biggest surgery to the economy", was put into operation in September 2010.
According to the plan, the subsidy on food and energy is removed gradually, and the government allocates a portion of the amount saved to people and industry.
The Iranian administration has paid no subsidy to the production sector (industry, mining agriculture) in the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 21, a report by Iran's Targeting Subsidies Organization said.
This is while the Subsidy Reform Plan had envisaged 100 trillion rials (about $3 billion) to be earmarked for boosting domestic production, improving the public transportation, and implementing energy saving projects.
Iran exported some 550,000 metric tons of dairy products in the previous Iranian calendar year (which ended on March 20).
Iran's Deputy Agricultural Jihad Minister Hassan Rokni said in October that Iran exported yogurt, dough (yogurt drink), cheese, and infant formula to neighboring countries in the mentioned period.