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Baghdad – IA – Hendren Makki
Today, Sunday, the Ministry of Commerce announced the opening of major shopping centers in the capital, Baghdad, at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. While it confirmed that its stores are full of basic materials, it indicated its control over market prices.
The Director General of the Department of Relations and Media, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, Muhammad Hanoun, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “The Ministry of Commerce has prepared an important program in preparation for the holy month of Ramadan, which begins with preparing the Ramadan ration, which includes food basket materials and the four additives, as well as food.” Distributing these materials to social welfare families, which number 7 million citizens, and thus the Ministry prepares the basket for 42 million Iraqi citizens within the ration card system.
Hanoun explained, “Those who are included in the social welfare quota, numbering 7 million, are preparing their share for 12 months of social welfare additives: (1 liter of oil, 1 kilogram of sugar, 1 kilogram of zero flour, a quarter kilogram of milk, and 200 grams of tea.”) As for the added ration for the month of Ramadan for all citizens, it includes (1 kilogram of noodles, 1 kilogram of starch, half a kilogram of pasta, and 1 kilogram of zero-fat flour for each family).”
Regarding the marketing centres, Hanoun said: “Marketing centers are spread across the capital, Baghdad, and all the governorates, with the aim of selling foodstuffs at reduced prices and at cost prices,” noting that “The Ministry of Commerce created a line parallel to the commercial market through the marketing centers affiliated with the General Foodstuff Company.”
He pointed out that “the centers will be converted into hypermarkets (a very large shopping center) at the headquarters of the central markets in Baghdad (Al-Bayaa, Al-Salihiyah and Al-Shaab), at the beginning of the next month of Ramadan, while the central popular market will open in the seventh month,” indicating that “the General Company for Markets The Central Bank has prepared an important program to rehabilitate and develop these markets to be marketing centers that accommodate all the food and non-food items that the citizen needs among the basic needs.”
He stressed that “the Ministry of Commerce currently has a good stock of food supplies sufficient for the next six months, and it has a stock of flour sufficient to last until the seventh month, while the marketing season begins in the fourth month,” pointing out that “the situation is stable with regard to wheat, flour, and the food basket, and there is no concern in On this side, the warehouses are full of basic foodstuffs that the Ministry prepares as part of the food basket.”
He added, “The large marketing centers (hypermarkets) will be for all Iraqi citizens, and will be sold at a discount to the families of martyrs and social welfare,” stressing that “the ministry’s goal is to provide food at cheap prices that are close to the local market price and with the same quality and quality, to control the local market prices, which are… “The best in the region due to the continuation of processing operations carried out by the Ministry of Commerce and the processing centers, which is a step towards ensuring food security.”
He pointed out that “work is continuing to complete the market buildings, while the old markets are continuing to sell, and there are also remote and poor places that are being prepared by sending means of transport to sell eggs, chickens and meat to them,” stressing that “work is continuing to rehabilitate 115 new marketing centers, and the opening will be successive and during the end of the year.” work periods.”
He concluded by saying: “The Ministry of Commerce has complete control over market prices and foodstuffs, and their security is good in the stores of Baghdad and the provinces.”
