Today, the Ministry of Commerce unveiled a comprehensive initiative aimed at monitoring food and meat prices within the local markets of Baghdad and other governorates. The ministry indicated that no rise in prices has been detected, while the National Security Agency confirmed that this initiative will extend throughout Ramadan and encompass all Iraqi governorates.
“Under the directives of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and the direct oversight of Minister of Commerce Atheer Al-Ghuiri, the ministry’s Commercial and Financial Control Department, in collaboration with economic security and organized crime units, has initiated a significant campaign to track food and meat prices in the local market ahead of the blessed month of Ramadan,” stated a ministry representative, emphasizing that “prices remain stable and have not experienced any increase.”
The representative added that “food prices have not increased due to several factors, including the distribution of a food basket containing most essential items to citizens,” noting that “our monitoring teams are conducting daily and periodic surveillance of the local market to ensure food price stability.”
Regarding meat prices, the representative remarked that “there has been no significant increase; however, we will assess the situation to identify the reasons behind any potential increases, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, and provide a report on our findings.” He stressed that “our campaigns will persist throughout Ramadan to prevent price manipulation.”
A spokesperson for the National Security Agency, in a video update, indicated that “this campaign is part of the preparations for the blessed month of Ramadan,” noting that “the operation has targeted markets in Karkh and Rusafa.”
Furthermore, the spokesperson stated that “this initiative was carried out in coordination with the ministries of health, agriculture, and trade,” explaining that it “aims to monitor prices across the markets and identify any instances of manipulation that could occur during Ramadan.”
Additionally, he mentioned that “the campaign includes an awareness and educational component for citizens, encouraging them to engage with the National Security Agency and relevant authorities to report any cases of price manipulation.”
The initiative will continue throughout Ramadan and will be extended to additional provinces.
Earlier, Minister of Commerce Atheer Al-Ghuiri announced the introduction of new food basket items, coinciding with the onset of Ramadan.
In previous communications, the Ministry of Commerce revealed plans to increase the rate of price reductions in hypermarkets by over 40%. All items offered in hypermarkets would conform to Iraqi specifications.
