Nasiriyah: Mass demonstrations in Al-Haboubi Square protesting the high prices

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[size=52]Nasiriyah: Mass demonstrations in Al-Haboubi Square protesting the high prices[/size]

[size=45]Dhi Qar / Hussein Al-Amil[/size]
[size=45]Yesterday, Wednesday, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Al-Haboubi Square in the center of Nasiriyah to protest against the high prices, the fluctuation of the ration items and the increase in the exchange rate of the dollar, calling for more support for the poor and low-income segments.[/size]
[size=45]The demonstrations followed a call by activists on social networking sites for mass mobilization and the organization of a major demonstration starting from Al-Haboubi Square towards the Dhi Qar governorate office and the stores of the Ministry of Trade in the governorate, to protest against the high market prices, the manipulation of food prices by traders, and the irregular distribution of the ration items.[/size]
[size=45]On the motives and demands of the demonstrations, the activist in the Nasiriyah demonstrations, Hisham Al-Sumari, said that “the activists of the demonstrations in Dhi Qar are gathering in a large demonstration that continues for several days and does not end except by providing the entire vocabulary of the ration quota to the citizens,” noting that “the irregular distribution of the ration quota and the reduction of its vocabulary contributed greatly to the rise Food prices in local markets.[/size]
[size=45]He described the ignoring of people's suffering resulting from the high prices as "the deliberate impoverishment of the segments of society, especially the low-income ones."[/size]
[size=45]The demonstrators raised a number of slogans expressing their demands, such as (Where does the paragraph answer the paragraph, and the oil hero 4000), (We demand the follow-up of prices and stop the greed of merchants), (We demand it, how do we lose its wisdom), (You fight us with our strength, we fight you stronger than before) And (Release the ration in all its terms), (Eat it, you can eat it, you have it), and the last slogan is to ridicule the one-hundred-dinar grant recently approved by the government to support low-income employees, retirees, and those covered by the social protection network.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, another activist, who declined to be named, stressed the need to tighten control over markets and hold price manipulators accountable and monopolists of basic materials who seek to reap more profits at the expense of the poor. A large part of the market need and at the same time limit the manipulation of prices by traders.”[/size]
[size=45]He continued, "The salaries of most of the employees and the wages of the earners do not cover the life requirements of the aforementioned segments, in light of the crazy rise in prices." A local source in Dhi Qar stated that "a liter of oil rose from 1,000 dinars to 4,000 dinars, a bag of flour from 10,000 dinars to more than 50,000 dinars, sugar from 750 dinars to 1,500 dinars, and rice from 1,000 dinars per kilogram to 2500 dinars."[/size]
[size=45]The source added, "The rise also included the prices of vegetables, meat, medicine and other consumer goods," attributing the reasons for the rise in prices to "the devaluation of the Iraqi dinar against the dollar and the lack of interest in the national industry and the agricultural sector, which made the country greatly affected by the high prices of the mentioned materials in global markets." The rise in food prices in the Iraqi markets coincides with the rise in oil prices in the global markets, amid fears of disruption to supplies due to the Russian-Ukrainian war with the disruption of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file. For their part, academics warned of serious threats to food security in light of the almost complete absence of effective economic plans and programs that would advance the industrial, agricultural and commercial sectors.[/size]
[size=45]The academic at Dhi Qar University, Najm Abd Tarish, called for “localizing the vocabulary of the ration card,” and explained in a tweet he posted on his personal blog and followed by (Al-Mada) that “the localization of the vocabulary of the ration card is very possible and a national priority, as Iraq spends nearly 6 billion dollars to purchase the items of the ration card.” transmission and distribution.[/size]
[size=45]Tarish added, "The solution is not difficult, and it requires a courageous political decision and a scientific study to establish factories for oils and sugar, such as the Union factory in Hilla, paste factories in Zubair, Karbala, Mosul, and mills in Kut, Mosul and the rest of the Iraqi cities."[/size]
[size=45]In his proposal, he stipulated “the commitment of the Ministry of Commerce to purchase all the production of the aforementioned factories and distribute it within the ration,” noting that “achieving what was mentioned would contribute to achieving a large part of self-sufficiency within one year. Risks,” noting that “this would also provide more job opportunities for the unemployed and graduates, and limit the drain on financial resources that are now being spent on imported materials.”[/size]
[size=45]A number of activists in the field of defending women’s rights had expressed on (March 7, 2022) their concern about the rise in food prices and its economic effects on the Iraqi family. Gifting a packet of edible oil instead of roses and other gifts, in reference to the increase in the price of oil from 1,000 dinars to four times its price in local markets[/size]
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