Ministry of Trade monitoring teams inspect equipment at a flour mill as part of efforts to ensure quality and proper distribution within Iraq’s ration card system.
Iraq distributes 3 million flour bags in ninth ration-card allotment
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s General Company for Grain Processing said Thursday it has distributed 3 million flour bags to agents as part of the ninth round of allocations under the national ration-card system.
The Trade Ministry said the shipments are part of its effort to maintain steady food supplies for citizens. The ministry’s media office quoted company director general Mohsen Mohammed Al-Namas as saying the process is supervised by monitoring and quality teams that “audit the quantities produced, the type of flour, and conduct precise laboratory tests to ensure the product meets standard specifications and vertical baking criteria.”
The statement said inspection teams visited mills and agent shops in Sulaymaniyah, Kirkuk, Anbar, Diwaniyah and Karbala to verify production quality, distribution procedures and compliance with standards intended to maintain public confidence in subsidized food products.
The Trade Ministry said the measures support its broader plan to strengthen services and ensure ration-card items reach eligible households efficiently.
Iraq’s ration-card system, introduced in the 1990s, provides subsidized flour, rice, sugar and oil and remains a central component of the country’s food-security network, especially for low-income families. In recent months, the government has tightened eligibility by limiting access to individuals earning less than 1.5 million dinars per month, a step aimed at reducing waste and directing support to those most in need.
On Aug. 5, the ministry said Iraq’s wheat reserves exceed 6 million tons, enough to meet national demand through early 2027. The government purchases wheat from local farmers at subsidized prices and stores it in silos, using the reserves to produce flour distributed monthly through the ration-card program.