‘Chicken Crisis’ Stirs Public Dissent In Iran

The rising cost of chicken in Iran has resulted in growing public resentment towards the government, claimed a report by Reuters on Sunday, with some citizens now blaming government mismanagement and international economic sanctions for the sudden increase in chicken prices.

The rising cost of chicken in Iran has resulted in growing public resentment towards the government, claimed a report by Reuters on Sunday, with some citizens now blaming government mismanagement and international economic sanctions for the sudden increase in chicken prices.

According to Reuters, chicken is a staple part of many Iranians’ diets; but the poor in particular were now struggling to afford the dish, as prices has soared by nearly three times from a year ago.

In her blog entitled Persian Letters, Iranian journalist Golnaz Esfandiari noted that many people were now queuing for more than for more than 14 hours in high summer temperatures to purchase government-subsidised chicken, which could cost up to $5 per kilogram, compared to just $2/kilo prior to the western sanctions.

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One Tehran man told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that many people expect tougher days ahead.
[quote]“We have given up on buying chicken,” he said. “[Iranian leaders] have created so much poverty that we can barely buy potatoes. This year chicken is banned from films, six months later potatoes will be banned in films, and by next year there won’t be any bread.”[/quote]

A veteran chicken producer in Iran also told Reuters that sharp increases in the cost of chicken feed and imported vaccines as a direct consequence of the sanctions were to blame, with around half of Iran’s chicken farms having to “stop production because it has become too expensive to buy the imported raw materials.”

[quote]”We are so sorry about the situation but it’s impossible to bring the price down. It’s very upsetting for so many Iranians,” he said.[/quote]

Sensing public anger, government officials in Iran have also begun to clamp down on media coverage, with one official even suggesting that images of chicken should be taken off the television.

Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, the national police chief and brother-in-law of President President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had urged television stations earlier this month to censor footage of people eating chicken, claiming that such scenes would provoke social tensions between the rich and the poor.

“They show chicken being eaten in movies while somebody might not be able to buy it…Certain people witnessing this class gap between the rich and the poor might grab a knife and think they will get their share from the wealthy,” Ahmadi-Moghaddam was quoted as saying by the Mehr News Agency.

Additionally, Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini warned the media last week not to publish any reports on the economic impart of western sanctions.

“The situation regarding sanctions and other pressures, especially in economy … requires more cooperation by the media so the country is not hurt,” Hosseini said.

But despite these attempts, Iran’s social networks have been buzzing with caricaturists satirising the government’s decision.

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Iranian photographer Arash Ashoorinia for instance published photos of chicken dishes on his website, with the caption: “It’s possible that publishing these kinds of photos will be banned. Of course I had many more beautiful photos, but I wouldn’t want to act against national security!”

[quote]“There are two classes of people: below the chicken line and above the chicken line,” quipped one Twitter posting from a Shiraz resident.[/quote]