Iraq launches fuel card for cooking gas distribution

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Oil Ministry on Monday announced the launch of a fuel card system for cooking gas, allocating two cylinders per family each month, as shortages continue to affect multiple governorates.

In a statement, Rafed Sadiq, media director of the Oil Products Distribution Company, said, “The fuel card for cooking gas has been launched, with two cylinders allocated per family monthly,” adding that “no new electronic platform has been created for this service.”

He said the system relies on an existing platform. “The system depends on the previous platform used for distributing kerosene, where citizens can register to receive their cooking gas allocations as was previously implemented.”

Sadiq noted that “the number of subscribers on this platform exceeds 1.6 million,” and added that “more than 90% of fuel stations and gas filling sites are currently operating within this system.”

He also said mobile distributors will be equipped with special devices. “Mobile agents will be provided with dedicated card readers, allowing citizens to receive their cooking gas allocations through roaming vendors, similar to distribution at stations.”

The announcement comes as cooking gas shortages have been reported across at least 13 governorates, with long queues forming and mobile vendors disappearing from some areas. Correspondents reported rising prices and supply disruptions in several cities, including in the Kurdistan Region, where the price of a cylinder reached 40,000 Iraqi dinars (about $25.8).

Most households in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region depend on 11-kilogram gas cylinders for cooking and heating water. These cylinders are filled at specialized facilities supplied by domestic gas produced in oil fields, and are typically sold by retailers at prices set by the government.