Baghdad – INA – Amna Al-Salami
The Ministry of Commerce confirmed today, Saturday, that its plans for 2024 include opening multiple marketing centers in Baghdad and the governorates, while threatening speculators with legal measures, as well as agents who are reluctant to prepare the food basket.
Ministry of Commerce spokesman Muhammad Hanoun told the (INA): “The General Company for Foodstuff Trade will witness a major transformation during the year 2024 through openness and opening marketing centers in the governorates and multiple regions of Baghdad, which is a major step to support prices and basic foodstuffs.” that the citizen needs.
On the other hand, he added, “The food basket project has proven its success by stabilizing the provision of citizens with 7 basic materials and providing social care families with more than 10 materials that represent the basic need of citizens, whether those included in social care or the food basket.”
Regarding monitoring food prices in the markets, Hanoun pointed out that “the Ministry has a strict monitoring mechanism in all regions of the country,” explaining, “The Minister of Commerce directed the Commercial and Financial Control Department, the Planning Department, and the ministry’s operating companies to carry out a wide and large campaign to monitor the work of food agents in Baghdad and the governorates.
Regarding the ministry’s measures against speculators in the markets, Hanoun explained, “The security agencies in charge have high-level work and joint coordination with the regulatory and security agencies in order to deter speculators, as a large number of them have been referred to the judiciary to take legal measures against them, and there are great results achieved in this regard.”
He stressed that “the Ministry is following up on the operations carried out by speculators in all regions,” noting that “the coming days will be decisive and the year 2024 will witness deterrent measures against speculators and agents who hesitate.”
Hanoun continued, on the other hand, that “there are some problems facing the ration card or food basket process due to the presence of reluctant agents in a number of governorates,” pointing out that “the ministry’s future effort is based on identifying these agents and replacing them with others according to the law, if their negligence is proven.” .