High Inflation Leading To Malnutrition In Iran: Daily

While the food prices in Iran are soaring, reports say many are facing malnutrition and lawmakers have also predicted a 60% inflation for the next Iranian year which begins in March.

Ham-Mihan centrist daily reported Monday that the malnutrition rate in the country is on the rise and the consumption of dairy products has fallen to half of the world average.

"Dairy consumption in Iran has fallen to about half of the average per capita consumption in the world, and the elimination or reduction of red meat has affected the health of families and children," added the daily.

The report titled "On the road to hunger" said based on the health ministry figures “About 16% of children under the age of six are malnourished, and 800,000 children of growing age are facing lack of energy and protein.”

On Sunday, Morteza Hosseini, a member of parliament said “we may experience price increases in some goods up to 60%.”

Earlier, another MP Kioumars Sarmadi had warned that a planned 20% salary increase for civil servants despite the 40% inflation rate, means a 50% decrease in their purchasing power in the next year.

Iran's Statistical Center announced on January 21 that the annual inflation rate is 46.3% and the point-to-point inflation rate stands at 51.3%.

Meanwhile, economists and businessmen believe that the real inflation rate in Iran is much higher than the government figures show.