The “calves” of Australia and Brazil did not solve it.. Meat prices did not decrease despite the pro

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[size=52]The “calves” of Australia and Brazil did not solve it.. Meat prices did not decrease despite the promises of the Iraqi government[/size]

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03-12-2024
Red meat prices continue to rise unprecedentedly in Iraq, until the price of one kilogram of lamb meat has reached 22 thousand dinars, approximately 15 US dollars, and 18 thousand dinars, approximately 12 dollars, for beef, despite the Ministry of Agriculture announcing the import of 25 thousand calves in Try to lower prices.[/size]
[size=45]Meat began to be absent from the Ramadan tables of poor and limited-income families due to the financial inability to purchase it, at a time when local markets are witnessing a noticeable rise in prices with the advent of the month, as is the case every year, amid calls for the government to implement the promises it made recently to confront the rise in prices. Holding manipulators accountable with deterrent measures.[/size]
[size=45]Greed of merchants[/size]
[size=45]In this context, citizen Umm Sawsan from Baghdad says, “Meat prices are still rising despite the Ministry of Agriculture announcing the entry of shipments of livestock from Australia, Brazil and others, and confirmed that prices will be reduced soon, but Ramadan has come and prices have not changed.”[/size]
[size=45]She added to Shafaq News Agency, “When you walk around the markets for selling meat, you notice that the price of one kilogram of lamb meat is 22 and 23 thousand dinars, and this contradicts what the ministry announced to reduce prices, and those promises were not implemented.”[/size]
[size=45]She points out that “those with limited income do not have the ability to buy meat at such prices, nor can they resort to chicken and fish, as their prices have also increased, and the prices of vegetables, fruits and foodstuffs have also increased due to the greed of merchants.”[/size]
[size=45]Umm Sawsan called on the concerned authorities to “intervene and take serious and real measures on the ground, since the citizen is the only one affected by this high cost.”[/size]
[size=45]Arrest campaign[/size]
[size=45]Yesterday, Monday, the Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of more than 100 accused of price manipulation in Baghdad and the provinces.[/size]
[size=45]The ministry’s spokesman, Brigadier General Miqdad al-Moussawi, said in a statement, “The General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime arrested more than 100 accused price manipulators from wholesale and retail merchants and butchers in Baghdad and the provinces,” stressing, “We will expand the measures in the coming days.”[/size]
[size=45]In the same context, a security source in Wasit Governorate reported last Thursday that a security force carried out raids and inspections of butcher shops in the governorate center.[/size]
[size=45]The source stated that “a joint security force carried out raids and inspection campaigns to monitor the rise in meat prices in the markets of the city of Kut, the center of the governorate,” pointing out that “the campaign resulted in the arrest of 14 butchers.”[/size]
[size=45]The source stated, “The arrest decision against the butchers was issued based on Article 2 of the Competition and Antimonopoly Law No. 14 of 2010, and they were arrested pending investigation.”[/size]
[size=45]Useless procedures[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the butcher Abu Ali from Karbala says, “The price of lamb meat, the bone, is 14 thousand dinars, and the explanation is 20 thousand dinars,” indicating that “livestock prices are high from the source and the butchers have nothing in their hands, so we are forced to raise the price as well to cover the rent and other costs.” .[/size]
[size=45]He added to Shafaq News Agency, “As for the calves that were imported, it is noted in the areas where they are sold that their body is weak and they need time to fatten them and slaughter them, and then the prices may decrease. As for our butcher shop, it does not deal with the imported one because the customers do not accept it or want it.”[/size]
[size=45]Reasons for high prices[/size]
[size=45]In turn, economic expert Omar Al-Halbousi attributes, in an interview, the reason for the rise to “the continuation of sheep smuggling operations towards neighboring countries, in addition to the absence of a law that deters merchants and provides a fair price for the consumer, even though merchants obtain the dollar at the official price for the purpose of importing, which should not have been the case.” It contributes to lowering prices, but the opposite happened. Prices rose insanely as the month of Ramadan approached.”[/size]
[size=45]“Also, imported meat is not popular due to the Iraqi citizen’s fear of its source, the way it is preserved or transported, and the method of slaughtering it, which makes imported meat not make a difference to the price of meat in the Iraqi market, because it did not enjoy the trust of the Iraqi citizen, especially since expired imported meat was introduced.” Earlier,” Al-Halbousi says.[/size]
[size=45]The Iraqi government had taken a set of measures to reduce high prices, or prevent citizens from being exposed to financial catastrophe during Ramadan, as it had taken a set of decisions that amounted to stopping the payment of installments of advances and loans during Ramadan, so that the salaries of employees, who constitute a large percentage of Iraqis, would not be affected.[/size]
[size=45]Among these measures, the Iraqi Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Jabr al-Maliki, directed about three weeks ago to open the import of cows and sheep for the purpose of slaughter and breeding in support of citizens and to control meat prices.[/size]
[size=45]Calves from Brazil and Australia[/size]
[size=45]In this context, the Director General of the Department of Livestock in the Ministry of Agriculture, Walid Muhammad Razouqi, says about the reason behind the lack of decline in prices, that “the livestock are still on pastures and have not gone to the markets, and as for imported ones, the butchers do not slaughter them directly upon their arrival, but rather leave them to graze.” From a week to even two months in order to change the taste of its meat, which differs from the local and consumer tastes.”[/size]
[size=45]Razouki confirms that “the calves that entered are 19 thousand calves, and before that there were 6 thousand calves, which means 25 thousand calves, and there are about 40 thousand calves waiting in the countries of Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and Australia. As for the sheep, they have not arrived in the country yet, and research is currently underway.” in the African continent".[/size]
[size=45]He explains, “If the file was in the hands of the Ministry of Agriculture, the market would have been flooded with livestock, but the file is not in its hands, but in the hands of the importing merchants, and the Ministry, in turn, is continuing procedures to grant import licenses to importers from international origins.”[/size]
[size=45]Razouki points out that “imports are carried out in dollars and not in the Iraqi currency, so it was affected by the rise in the dollar, and the problem of sheep is their small numbers in Iraq with the high daily demand for them, as the local trend is towards consuming meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so local numbers do not meet the need.” Therefore, the Ministry resorts to covering the shortage with imports.”[/size]
[size=45]An initiative in Karbala[/size]
[size=45]With the advent of the month of Ramadan, the owner of a butcher shop in Karbala took the initiative to reduce the prices of meat on the occasion of the month of Ramadan. Amir, the owner of the shop, says, “Every month of Ramadan, we take the initiative to reduce the prices of meat to feed the poor for the sake of God, as it is appropriate, as is the case with cooking and distributing food in Muharram.” And forty.”[/size]
[size=45]He explains during his speech that “the price of one kilogram of lamb is 11 thousand dinars, and the price of veal is 9 thousand dinars.”[/size]
[size=45]People with limited income[/size]
[size=45]The head of the Strategic Center for Human Rights, Fadel Al-Gharawi, predicted last Sunday that Ramadan this year would be the “most difficult” month for people with limited income due to the continued rise in food supplies.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Gharawi said in a statement, “There has been a noticeable increase in sheep meat, fish, chicken, rice, sugar, fat, tea, and infant formula.”[/size]
[size=45]He stated that “most merchants raised these prices before the month of Ramadan without paying attention to the humanitarian conditions of the poor and those with limited income.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Gharawi called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani to launch the “Ramadan Kareem” initiative for people with limited income and the poor, and to provide an integrated food basket throughout the month of Ramadan, and to demand that the security forces monitor prices in the local market and bring everyone who raises them to justice.[/size]
[size=45]Kurdistan Region[/size]
[size=45]As for the Kurdistan Region, Erbil Governorate announced last Thursday the tightening of control measures on markets and shops ahead of the month of Ramadan.[/size]
[size=45]This came during a meeting held by the local government in Erbil regarding its preparations for the month of Ramadan, according to a statement.[/size]
[size=45]In the statement, the governorate stressed the tightening of procedures, monitoring the prices of materials and goods, and preventing their prices from being raised during the month of Ramadan.[/size]
[size=45]The statement stated, “Warehouses and pharmacies will continue to be inspected and expired materials will be seized in order to preserve the safety of citizens.”[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the Minister of Trade and Industry in the Kurdistan Regional Government, Kamal Muslim, announced last Thursday that he had submitted a proposal to the Council of Ministers to reduce the prices of red meat.[/size]
[size=45]Muslim said, in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency, “We are closely following the problem of high red meat prices and are trying hard to reduce meat prices in the region.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, "We proposed reducing customs duties on animal imports in order to reduce meat prices in the markets."[/size]
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