Economic Update – Baghdad
On March 20, the Ministry of Commerce is set to launch the Ramadan basket, which will feature essential food items along with an inclusion of five types of legumes. “The Ramadan basket will be released 10 days prior to the commencement of the holy month,” announced a ministry spokesperson.
According to the spokesperson, “The basket comprises the fundamental food staples, supplemented by five types of legumes: lentils, livestock, beans, and chickpeas, which are available in both regular and crushed forms.” Notably, “80 percent of the food supplies are sourced from domestic production, with the exception of legumes and rice.”
Al-Mousawi emphasized that families are permitted to select four types of legumes from the five offered. A family of four will receive one kilogram of each selected item, in addition to the standard ration share.
She highlighted the inclusion of social welfare families, who will receive additional food supplies, benefitting from a total of 12 baskets distributed throughout the year. This initiative aims to support approximately 7 million citizens, while the ministry is preparing to extend the ration card system to cover a total of 48.5 million citizens.
Al-Mousawi also pointed out that the marketing centers distributed throughout Baghdad and other governorates will continue to offer food items at prices reflecting a 25 percent discount on local market rates for locally produced commodities compared to imports.
Additionally, she announced that March 18 will mark the opening of a new central market (hypermarket) in Sadr City, bringing the total to two markets on the Rusafa side, with three more located in Karkh (Al-Salihiya Complex, Freedom, and Al-Bayaa) that will sell subsidized food items with significant discounts for beneficiaries of the social protection network.
Furthermore, Al-Mousawi mentioned that the direct sales event held at the Baghdad International Fair concluded yesterday, with an extension over the weekend due to heightened demand from citizens for various food items as Ramadan approaches.
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