Iraq reports progress on digitizing national food ration card system

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Trade announced Tuesday that it has made significant strides in automating the national food ration card system, citing high completion rates in governorates already using electronic processing. Officials attribute the progress to citizens who have cooperated by updating their personal data.

Iraq’s monthly food ration program was introduced in the 1990s under the United Nations’ Oil-for-Food Programme and remained in effect after Saddam Hussein’s regime fell in 2003, despite persistent concerns about the quality and quantity of the rations.

“The rate of citizen data updates in Wasit, Salah al-Din, Anbar, Diyala, Diwaniyah, and Maysan continues to rise, thanks to the significant cooperation of residents who have updated their records through mobile applications launched by the ministry,” ministry spokesperson Mohammed Hanoun said in a statement.

Hanoun noted that digitalization is advancing rapidly where the new system is in place. “The next phase will launch in Baghdad, covering both Karkh and Rusafa, followed by the Kurdistan Region, Basra, Dhi Qar, and other governorates that have not yet started the transition,” he said.

The ministry aims to complete the ration card’s electronic transformation by mid-2025. “There is ongoing coordination with the supervisory team to resolve any technical issues that arise,” Hanoun said. He added that a joint task force with the Ministry of Interior has been formed to finalize unified national ID cards in governorates updating their data, while a specialized team assists elderly and disabled residents with ID applications.

Hanoun urged people in areas currently conducting data updates to use the ministry’s mobile applications. “The ration card app allows citizens to add, remove, or modify their information quickly and seamlessly,” he said. “All citizens need to do is download the app on their smartphones, and with a few simple steps, they can update their records or add family members—eliminating the need for paperwork or long wait times.”