TEHRAN – Members of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) raised concerns over a draft government directive on an electronic ration card scheme, warning that the plan could intensify price controls and lacks clarity on funding and distribution mechanisms.

At the sixth meeting of TCCIMA’s Trade Facilitation and Development Committee, foreign-trade operators reviewed the Welfare Ministry’s draft proposal and said the scheme should be designed by commercial and supply-chain specialists, with the chamber playing a lead role. They cited inconsistencies between the plan’s stated budget and the calculated gap between the preferential exchange rate and the agreed market rate, which would be paid to low-income households through the electronic voucher system.

Under the draft prepared by the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, the government would stabilize prices of essential goods by transferring the currency-rate difference to eligible households at the end of the supply chain. The first phase would apply to families covered by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and the State Welfare Organization, with expansion to other income groups requiring cabinet approval. The defined basket must supply at least 2,386 kilocalories per person per day.

During the session, ICCIMA experts outlined cost structures across income deciles, and private-sector participants highlighted multiple contradictions in the draft. They said the plan risks deepening mandatory price controls and that the stated credit allocation does not match the scheme’s calculated currency-rate gap. Members argued that preferential currency should be eliminated entirely, and that the precise amount of subsidized foreign exchange provided for eleven core commodities must be clearly defined.

Committee members said the scheme’s enforcement guarantees and distribution framework remain unclear. They urged ICCIMA to take the initiative in drafting a revised, operational version of the electronic voucher plan to present to the government.

Committee chair Mohammad-Reza Ghafrollahi said any amendments must be based on detailed studies and coordinated across agencies.

He stressed the need for transparency in distribution and oversight processes and said an improved design could help prevent problems experienced in earlier support programs.

EF/MA