The suffering of the worker, Latif Kazem, 59, was exacerbated by the insane high prices of foodstuffs on the one hand, and the absence of most of the ration card items on the other hand.
Kazem explained to Al-Jazeera Net that the food commodities included in the ration card subsidized by the government, despite its lack of it, constitute a major source of food for his family of 7 members.
He pointed out that the catering agents deduct 1500 dinars ($1) for each family member for 4 foodstuffs: flour, rice, oil and sugar, which vary in availability during the months of the year.
The ration is a limited package of basic foodstuffs, distributed by the Iraqi Ministry of Trade monthly at a symbolic price to everyone who lives in Iraq, as it began distributing it in September 1990 to alleviate the consequences of the economic embargo imposed by the UN Security Council by Resolution No. 661 on the sixth of August 1990 on Iraq as a result of the invasion of Kuwait.
Al-Qusayr considered that political aims generated financial and administrative corruption in the ration card file (Al-Jazeera Net)
And the former economic advisor to the presidency of the Iraqi parliament, Dr. Alaa Al-Din Al-Qusair told Al-Jazeera Net that the ruling regime before 2003 had control and studied programs to provide the ration card materials in a smooth manner to all citizens at a time when Iraq was suffering from an international siege.
He added that what happened after 2003 to the vocabulary of that card is the random selection of the person responsible for implementing the food program, which caused the loss of previous economic standards and programs, which led to the emergence of fake names in the millions receiving foodstuffs.
On the other hand, Al-Qusair believes that the political goals that generated financial and administrative corruption were also behind the lack of food distribution despite the availability of its financial specialization within the general budget.
Al-Hamami talked about the reasons for not opening the files of the Ministry of Commerce in the House of Representatives, especially with regard to the ration card (Al-Jazeera Net)
Parliamentary interrogation
There are two reasons identified by the Iraqi parliament member, Aref Al-Hamami, for not opening the files of the Iraqi Ministry of Trade regarding the items of the food ration card, and their lack of monthly availability to the citizen.
He explained to Al-Jazeera Net that the first reason is due to the link between the questioning of those responsible for the ration card with the political will and the seriousness of the blocs in the House of Representatives to remedy the ongoing food crisis.
While the second reason, according to Al-Hamami, was the failure of Parliament to vote on its committees, which stands in the way of interrogating the minister and following up on files related to food security in Iraq.
cash alternative
And the economic advisor of the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Ali Hadi Judeh, believes that the commodity subsidy of the ration card should be replaced by cash payment to get out of the crisis.
He told Al Jazeera Net that in the event of the replacement, the government agencies should review the amount allocated as an alternative to the commodity support program in the ration card per month and link its amount to the volume of monthly inflation, the prices of basic commodities and the purchasing power of the middle and poor classes.
As a result, the amount of cash support is evaluated according to these indicators to protect the basic food basket for low-income families according to quality.
Al-Halbousi supports transferring the ration card file to the Iraqi private sector (Al-Jazeera Net)
private sector
And economic researcher Omar Al-Halbousi suggests another solution to the problem that helps the government regarding the ration card by transferring it to the Iraqi private sector.
He explained to Al-Jazeera Net that the private sector is more flexible in responding to demand and able to provide requirements, provided that it is monitored to provide them at the right time, good quality and appropriate prices.
Al-Halbousi also believes that the matter should not be monopolized by a group of companies affiliated with political parties so as not to take advantage of the citizen's need in political issues to make him in a spiral of rising prices in an upward manner whenever an emergency occurs.
Manar Al-Obaidi expects a steady increase in poverty rates in Iraq as a result of internal and external factors (Al-Jazeera Net)
food storage
And the Iraqi Ministry of Trade had confirmed at the beginning of this March - according to the official news agency (INA) - that there was no shortage of foodstuffs inside its stores, expressing its readiness to distribute two rations within the ration card before the blessed Ramadan.
Meanwhile, Manar Al-Obaidi, head of the Iraq Future Foundation for Economic Studies, considered the ministry's statements incorrect.
He told Al-Jazeera Net that the food stockpile of flour - one of the most important items of the ration card - is sufficient for only one month, in addition to the fact that the edible oil crisis stems from an external reason, which is the Russian war on Ukraine and another due to the lack of storage in Iraq.
high poverty
According to the Department of Social Welfare in the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the number of poor people in Iraq is more than 10 million, out of more than 40 million Iraqis, as more than 5 million people are covered by social welfare salaries.
Al-Obaidi warned of the increase in the number of the poor as a result of several reasons, some of which are linked to the high prices of strategic commodities globally, and internally to the rise in food prices within the local market, in addition to the lack of job opportunities that are matched by population growth.