Abdolmahtab Mohammadkhani, spokesperson for Tehran Municipality, in a press conference detailing the 'Zero Inflation' plan, announced the municipality's programs to support citizens' livelihoods in the context of an economic war. He emphasized that this plan aims to stabilize the prices of 12 essential goods in Citizen stores and fruit and vegetable markets.
Details of the 'Zero Inflation' Plan
Mohammadkhani stated: 'Zero Inflation' is more of a media title, and its goal is to stabilize the prices of 12 essential goods from October 1 to March 21 of next year. These goods include rice, imported meat, pasta, oil, legumes, and dates. He added that he hopes these items will soon expand to 15 and include chicken and cheese as well.
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Distribution Capacities of Goods in Tehran
The spokesperson for Tehran Municipality referred to the existing capacities in the distribution of goods and said: 'Tehran has 316 fruit and vegetable markets and 55 Citizen stores, which provide the capacity for distributing goods throughout all neighborhoods of Tehran.' Mohammadkhani emphasized that efforts have been made in the past five years to reduce prices by eliminating intermediaries, which has led to lower prices in fruit and vegetable markets.
He also mentioned Tehran Municipality's successful experience in importing essential goods and added: 'In the final months of the martyr Raisi's government, permits were issued for the import of rice and meat, which resulted in a 40 to 50 percent decrease in the prices of these goods compared to retail.' He criticized some opponents, stating that during the government transition, permits for imports were not granted to Tehran Municipality, which fueled the criticisms.
Economic Challenges and Threats
Mohammadkhani, referring to the country's economic conditions and imposed wars, emphasized that 'economic war' has become a priority and external threats, especially from American officials, are clearly evident. He said: 'We cannot remain indifferent and must use our experiences to neutralize the enemy's plans.'
He announced the commencement of studies and expert sessions for the 'Zero Inflation' plan since late April of this year and said: 'We are facing an existential threat and must take action to reduce the economic pressure on the people.' Mohammadkhani, emphasizing the successful history of eliminating intermediaries in previous years, expressed his confidence in reducing prices in fruit and vegetable markets and urged all citizens to take advantage of this opportunity.
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