Azzaman, July 23, 2005


Iraq needs to import 220,000 tons of wheat and 75,000 tons of rice to cover its food rationing system, the Trade Ministry said.

The system, under which Iraqis receive highly subsidized food items, has been under severe strain since the 2003 U.S. invasion of the country.

Millions of families have relied on the rations since they were introduced in response to U.N. trade sanctions imposed for the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The system was a success in the years until the U.S. invasion and U.N. aid agencies accredit it for saving Iraqis from starvation.

But many families go without rations now and there has been a decline in both the quality and quantity of foods distributed.

The authorities blame the ongoing violence but there reports blaming massive corruption at the Trade Ministry for the delays in distribution and insufficient and low-quality supplies.

In a statement faxed to the newspaper, the ministry said its 39 silos were brimming with supplies and have begun shipping wheat to the 171 mills across the country.

Local produce is negligible when measured against huge needs for both rice and wheat.

The statement said the ministry needs to import more than 2.6 million tons of wheat a year and 900,000 tons of rice every year to cover the rationing system.

It said Iraq needs to import huge quantities of legumes, tea, sugar and vegetable ghee which are also handed out to Iraqi families as part of their monthly food rations.

The ministry said it needs to import almost all the items on the rationing card. The country’s food import bill is estimated to cost the treasury up to $4 billion a year.

Iraqi harvest is generally poor and this year state-owned silos have only received 200,000 tons of wheat, less than what Iraqis consume in a month.

The Trade Ministry has recently signed a contract for the import of 1.3 million tons of wheat and 250,000 tons of rice from Australia and other foreign suppliers.