Iraqi official institutions indicate that the consumption of the Iraqi people increases by double in the month of Ramadan, due to the breakfast table and its diversity, indicating that the most consumed items are juices, dates, rice and lentils.

And the month of Ramadan falls for the second season on Iraq, which is experiencing a suffocating economic crisis in light of the outbreak of the Corona virus, accompanied by high rates of unemployment and poverty, as a result of the country's dependence on the oil sector, and the inability of the economy to create jobs to employ the unemployed, in addition to high food prices for various reasons, including imposing Taxes, import bans and devaluation of the local currency.

Abdul Wahid: Iraqis consume 18% of the country's production of dates during the month of Ramadan (Al-Jazeera Net)

Dates are essential for breakfast

Head of the Iraqi Peasants Union Haider Abdul Wahid told Al-Jazeera Net that Iraqis consume more than 300,000 tons of dates during Ramadan, adding that almost 18% of Iraq's production of it is consumed during this blessed month only.

He mentioned that dates - of which Iraq produces 2.2 million tons annually - is one of the basic items present on the breakfast table daily, indicating that the main foodstuffs consumption increases by double during the holy month.

On the other hand, a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Hamid Al-Nayef, told Al-Jazeera Net that there are several foodstuffs consumed in the month of Ramadan, including chicken, dates, eggs, lentils, juices and others, indicating that the main indicators talk about the consumption of 12 kilograms of chicken per person per year. And the per capita consumption of chicken increases during Ramadan.

He added that chicken is considered a cheap meat, compared to red meat, so many families resort to it.

Al-Nayef pointed out that the Iraqi consumes more chicken during Ramadan (Al-Jazeera Net)

Lentil Soup

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Iraq annually imports more than 2,300 tons of lentils, which is a major component of the soup dish on the breakfast table, in addition to 174,000 tons of rice, as it consumes more than 50 thousand tons of it in Ramadan.

The advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture, Mahdi Al-Qaisi, told Al-Jazeera Net that Iraq also suffers from the absence of major cattle stations for the production of milk and its derivatives, so milk products are imported from all countries, indicating that Iraq needs to subsidize milk to become among the strategic commodities it supports.

He stressed that milk and its derivatives are from the materials that are used a lot in Ramadan, and most of it is imported.

Various varieties of sweets during Ramadan in a Baghdad market (Al-Jazeera Net)

Juices

Al-Jazeera Net communicated with a number of juice factories in Baghdad and some governorates, as the daily consumption of juices is estimated at more than 700 thousand liters during Ramadan, and it is considered one of the main items on the breakfast table.

On the other hand, the seller Muhammad Al-Lami told Al-Jazeera Net that the economic crisis appeared clear on the Iraqis in the current Ramadan, as the citizens' purchasing power is very weak compared to previous years, adding that the Corona crisis made citizens not go to the main markets, but rather only retail markets for fear of Hustle and infection.

He warned that the difficult economic conditions have appeared on the people, warning that their continuation may lead to a popular outburst against these conditions.

He explained that Iraqi consumption is known during the blessed month of Ramadan, and it is limited to several items, and there are luxury items such as sweets that are purchased by a certain group.