The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Rice Importers Association says the Central Bank is the main cause of market instability.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Rice Importers Association, in a letter to the Inspection Organization of the Islamic Republic, identified the Central Bank as the main cause of instability in the rice market and warned that continued delays in currency payments to importers could lead the country to a new crisis in supplying this essential commodity.
Hamidreza Eskandari stated that more than ten months have passed since the Central Bank’s commitment to allocate currency to importers, yet none of the import shipments since last February have received any currency.
He emphasized that this delay has imposed billions in storage demurrage, banking fees, and has driven several importers out of the market.
According to him, the reduction in imports of Pakistani rice and the limited supply of domestic rice have exerted additional pressure on the market and simultaneously increased prices for both Iranian and foreign types.
Eskandari has warned that if this situation continues, the impending crisis in the rice market will be much more severe and costly, and the Central Bank must be accountable for the consequences of this instability.