Red meat in Iraq.. at the mercy of imports and rising local prices

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[size=52]Red meat in Iraq.. at the mercy of imports and rising local prices[/size]

[size=45]Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Tuesday that it had foiled an attempt to smuggle 2,000 sheep into Iraq, as well as 250 horses and 6,500 bottles of alcoholic beverages. While it indicated that the fight against smuggling has increased by 100% this year, questions are being raised about whether this announcement could explain why meat prices have risen in Iraq in recent months and up until now.
Iraq has witnessed a significant increase in red meat prices since the middle of last year and this year, and this increase is expected to continue, which is an opportunity for traders to practice greed and exploit citizens, as this increase has led to citizens refraining from buying it, due to the weak purchasing power of the Iraqi citizen and the decline in the value of the Iraqi dinar, which has led to a state of economic stagnation in Iraqi markets.
Corruption
In June, Thaer al-Jubouri, a member of the parliamentary agriculture committee, revealed three reasons behind the rise in meat prices in Iraq, stressing that there are efforts that may contribute to their decline in the coming period.
Al-Jubouri said, “Meat prices in Iraq are very high, and there are large segments that cannot afford to buy it despite the government’s efforts to expand the scope of imports and simplify procedures to encourage traders and companies to pump all types of meat into the markets.”
He added, “There are three reasons behind the high prices of meat in Iraq, the most prominent of which is that the process of importing it is tainted with corruption in some areas, and this matter is important, and will be raised in the first session of the Parliamentary Agriculture Committee in order to open a comprehensive investigation and collect evidence. In addition, prices are linked to the principle of supply and demand, the level of general consumption, and the impact of the local product on the price exchange.”
He pointed out that “meat consumption in Iraq is high, but it does not justify the high price increase,” stressing that “with efforts to create flexibility in imports, it may decrease in the coming period.”
Iranian media quoted Colonel Nakhshi of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran as saying, “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps supports the country’s economy in all sectors, especially the weak ones, and will not allow some smugglers to empty people’s tables. Two thousand heads of sheep were seized on the Piranshahr border with Iraq.”
He stressed that "250 horses and 6,500 bottles of alcoholic beverages were also seized from the Piranshahr border with Iraq," noting that "the Revolutionary Guards in Piranshahr increased the fight against livestock smuggling by 100% during the first four months of the year compared to last year."
While the deputy head of livestock production improvement of the Agricultural Jihad Organization in West Azerbaijan said about the effects and consequences of livestock smuggling, these smugglers in the border areas are facing a shortage of livestock in the country with illegal exit and smuggling, and ultimately the country's meat will go abroad, and the supply will decrease."
Engineer Bostanji asked livestock farmers to work hard to prevent animal smuggling and preserve the country's genetic reserves by stamping the license plates of their animals, and called for intensifying the fight against livestock smuggling, increasing supervision, and considering incentive and support policies for livestock owners that are effective in combating livestock smuggling.
West Azerbaijan has more than 100 kilometers of common border with Iraq, while questions are being raised about whether the fight against livestock smuggling from Iran to Iraq, which has increased by 100% according to the Revolutionary Guards, may be behind the rise in meat prices in Iraq, as this activity has led to a shortage in supply inside Iraq.
The poor imports
and the continued unprecedented rise in red meat prices in Iraq, so that the price of one kilogram of mutton has reached 22,000 dinars, approximately 15 US dollars, and 18,000 dinars, approximately 12 dollars, for beef, despite the Ministry of Agriculture announcing the import of 25,000 calves in an attempt to reduce prices.
Director General of the Animal Wealth Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Walid Muhammad Razouqi, confirmed in a previous interview that “butchers do not slaughter imported livestock immediately upon arrival, but rather leave them to graze for a week to two months in order to change the taste of their meat, which differs from the local meat and the taste of the consumer.”
Razouki points out that “imports are made in dollars, not in Iraqi currency, so they were affected by the rise in the dollar. The problem with sheep is the small number of sheep in Iraq, with the increase in daily demand for them, as the local trend is towards consuming meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so the local numbers do not meet the need, so the ministry resorts to covering the shortage by importing.”
Earlier this year, authorities in Cape Town, South Africa, opened an investigation after a foul odor swept through the South African city, before discovering that the odor was coming from a ship that docked in the city carrying 19,000 heads of cattle from Brazil on its way to Iraq.
The SPCA said in a statement: “This odor indicates the horrific conditions the animals are living in, after they have already spent two and a half weeks on board the ship, with the accumulation of feces and ammonia. The stench on board the ship is unimaginable, but the animals face this every day.”
The Ministry of Agriculture later confirmed the safety of the livestock imported from Brazil, and while denying the existence of any deaths among them, it clarified its procedures after the shipment arrived in Iraq.
Control and supervision
The Veterinary Department of the Ministry of Agriculture announced in July that it had taken measures to control the rise in meat prices, stressing that it had obligated livestock importers and butchers to set fixed prices.
Thaer Sabri Hussein, Director of the Epidemiology Department of the Veterinary Department, said that “the prices of primary investors for importing calves and sheep are good, but the prices of secondary investors and butchers are still high, although the supply has become much more than before, so meat prices are supposed to decrease.”
Hussein confirmed that “the Ministry of Agriculture held a meeting regarding the rise in meat prices, and through it, it communicated with importers of calves and meat and set an appropriate and profitable price for importers as well as butchers.”
He called on the regulatory authorities to “follow up on butchers, determine meat prices, and deter price manipulators.”
Thamer Habib Hamza, Director General of the Veterinary Department, said that “the shipment of livestock imported from Brazil is safe, and it was granted a veterinary health certificate to enter Iraq, in addition to a permit certificate from the State of Brazil.”
Hamza added, “The number of imported animals is 19,000 livestock, and this shipment has not arrived in Iraq yet,” adding, “We contacted the investor who confirmed that there were no deaths on the ship.”
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Agriculture Committee identified three reasons behind the import of African meat in order to cover market needs.
Committee member Thaer Al-Jubouri said, “The Ministry of Agriculture’s decision to open up to importing red meat from some African countries is expected, especially since there is an abundance of production there and it is exported to dozens of countries, including Arab countries, in order to cover market needs.” He
explained that “three reasons prompted the Ministry of Agriculture to open up to the red meat file, which are an attempt to control the high prices that have burdened the poor, in addition to covering the needs of local markets during peak seasons, including Muharram, Ramadan and Eid, when demand for meat is high, and to create diversity in meat supply sources.”
He pointed out that “the process of importing meat, whether from Africa or elsewhere, is subject in all cases to strict inspection procedures to ensure its safety for human consumption, in addition to the fact that import is a temporary procedure in light of the existence of many projects, most of which are within the private sector, in developing livestock and meeting the market’s need for meat, which has begun to emerge in recent years.”
He continued: “Iraq lost a large part of its livestock after 2003, due to drought seasons, fatal diseases, and lack of government support, but there is a trend towards investment, especially since the prices are reasonable and can cover costs, and achieve good revenues if we move to modern breeding methods with economic feasibility.” It
is noteworthy that red meat has been witnessing an increase in local markets in Iraq for months, as the price of one kilogram ranges between 20 and 22 thousand dinars for lamb meat, and less than that for veal.[/size]
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