Iran plans increase to electronic food coupon subsidies

The Iranian government is designing a new mechanism to increase the value of electronic food coupons to offset inflationary pressures and maintain the purchasing power of citizens for essential goods. Mohammad Reza Aref, the First Vice President, stated that while the government has faced resource limitations and concerns regarding liquidity growth, a plan to increase these subsidies is being finalized and will be implemented soon. The exact number of people eligible for the increased amount has not yet been determined.

Despite these announcements, the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare reported that the most recent distribution for households with national ID numbers ending in 0, 1, or 2 remained at the previous rate of one million tomans per person. The Ministry outlined a staggered schedule for the October/November distribution to manage demand: households with IDs ending in 3 through 6 will receive credits starting October 17, and those with IDs ending in 7, 8, or 9 will receive them starting October 27. All eligible households have until the end of December to use the credits for 11 essential categories, including meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, rice, oil, sugar, and various agricultural products.