Ukraine war raises poverty alarms in Iraq

An Iraqi economist warned of the possibility of a hunger revolution due to the hike in food prices, suggesting solutions to the federal government to overcome the crisis.

Shatrah district in Dhi Qar governorate witnessed violent demonstrations on Sunday due to the increase in foodstuffs. Muthanna governorate also witnessed a demonstration on Monday against the rise in food prices.

Economist Duraid al-Araji said in an exclusive statement to PUKmedia that the rise in food prices is the repercussions of the war in Ukraine, as well as the approach of Ramadan.

"Ukraine is one of the countries exporting sunflower seeds which has raised global fears," he said, noting that fears in Iraq are caused by the fact that the federal government exercises "a dictatorship system against the private sector, because all economic decisions do not involve the private sector, or hearing the traders' opinions."

He also suggested some solutions to reduce the rise in food prices which are:

First, which is the easiest and best: allow importing 
Second: Doubling the ration quantities
Third: Reducing the dollar price

Araji indicated that the country will face a strong hysteria as repercussions of high food prices, warning the government and the heads of political blocs of "a revolution of the hungry, because economic decisions are taken unilaterally without listening to the private sector."

The local market has witnessed a continuous hike in food prices for the past week.

The price of cooking oil doubled within a few days in all cities of Iraq, except for the Kurdistan Region.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi chaired an emergency meeting to discuss the issue. The meeting discussed ensuring food security and the readiness of ministries to achieve this in light of the Russian-Ukrainian war crisis.

Federal Trade Minister Alaa al-Jubouri meanwhile, assured on Monday that they will start preparing the supply agents to distribute the food rations as soon as possible and that they will be distributed monthly.



PUKmedia