From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. With a fall in oil prices, countries like Iraq are looking to diversify their economy. But corruption is making that difficult. Al Jazeera's Simona Foltyn has this exclusive report on the challenges facing […]
By John Lee. Local wheat production in Iraq could reach almost 3 million tonnes in the 2018-2019 season, up from 2.17 million tonnes in the previous year, according to Reuters. While the total area of wheat planted using irrigation has fallen from one million hectares in the 2017-2018 season to 550,000 hectares this season, better […]
WFP supports Iraq in modernising its Public Distribution System The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Iraq have launched an initiative to digitise the national public distribution system (PDS). The first phase of digitisation will reach nearly 1.3 million people in and around Baghdad and Dohuk. The PDS is Iraq’s biggest […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that Etihad Food Industries is looking to sign one- or two-year raw sugar importing contracts with large trading firms after its current contract with Alvean runs out in November. Haidar al-Noumany, Commercial Director, told the news agency that Etihad imported 1.047 million tonnes of raw sugar last year for its Babil-based […]
In a technical workshop held this week, the Government of Iraq and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) will discuss the potential introduction of electronic food vouchers in the Iraqi Public Distribution System (PDS). They will be joined by financial payments experts from MasterCard, the leading global technology and payments company, which, under a global […]
Iraq has increased prices it pays to its wheat, barley and rice growers, reports Azzaman. Kareem Elaywi, a parliamentarian in the Water and Agriculture Commission, said farmers shipping their produce to government silos will receive 900,000 dinars for a ton of wheat, 750,000 dinars for a ton of barley and 1 million dinars for a ton […]
By Matthew Gayle. According to the state-run Grain Board of Iraq, over 5.4 million tons of food were imported into Iraq last year to cover the state-run food rationing system that was originally initiated in 1990. The system food rationing system was put into place to help offset the impact of U.N. trade sanctions, and […]
By John Lee. Iraqis are divided over plans to reform the country's largest social welfare programme. Iraq’s cabinet decided last week to remove the food rationing scheme in favour of a direct cash transfer to citizens, which would mean that from the start of March next year, all Iraqis would be entitled to a monthly […]
The Iraqi Trade Ministry has reportedly signed a contract with the Egyptian company Arma for the purchase of 25,000 tons of vegetable oil. Hashem Hatam, the Foreign economic relations chief at the ministry, told AKnews that the oil will be distributed to civilians through the food rationing program. The quantity is sufficient for only three […]
Iraq's trade ministry has cancelled direct cash purchases of essential food items, such as sugar, wheat and rice, in a move to help prevent corruption, according to a report from Reuters. The change was announced as a 100-day target set by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to improve his fragile coalition government's performance in the face […]
The Grain Board of Iraq said that Iraq intends to purchase 3.25 million tons of wheat this year, up from to 1,9 million tons last year. The company said that part of the wheat will be used to enhance its strategic stockpile. Hasan Ibrahim said that the 3.25 million tons of wheat will cover the […]
About $57 million worth of cooking oil once destined for Iraq's national food rationing programme may be fed to animals because it was left outdoors for three years and passed its expiry date for human consumption, according to a report from Reuters. A parliamentary committee suggested turning the wasted 30,000 tonnes of vegetable oil into […]
