Following the sharp rise in food prices, such as vegetable oil, flour, chicken, eggs, and dairy products in Iran, the prices of animal feed have also increased five to sixfold.

The head of Cattle Farmers Association, Ahmad Moghaddasi, told ILNA on Saturday that the price of barley, corn, and soybean meal have risen from less than 10 cents to about 60 cents per kilogram. 

He added that the jump in the feed prices has also increased the price of live cattle by nearly 20 percent. 

Soybean meal, barley and corn for livestock and chicken feed are mainly imported from Russia and other countries. Iran annually imports around 8 million metric tons of corn, 4.2 million metric tons of soybean meal, and 400,000 metric tons of barley for animal feed. Any shortages or higher prices can push up the price of meat further.

The head of the Flour Producers Association says this year Iran must import 20 million tons of grain – including 6 to 7 million tons of wheat -- noting that the country has never been so dependent on imports. 

Anti-government unrest in Iran triggered by the sudden rise in food prices spread further on Saturday as state media and officials are in denial.

The average price of food for one person is estimated to be about 9,030,000 rials (about $30) per month and for a family of four it is about 36,120,000 rials (about $120). Considering the average minimum wage that is set at about 42,000,000 to 63,000,000 rials this year (about $140 to $200), a family of three to four must spend more than 85 percent of its income on food.