Iraq reinstates income threshold for food rations, excluding salaries above $970

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Trade has reinstated a 1.5 million dinar ($970) monthly income threshold above which households are excluded from the state-sponsored food ration system, Deputy Trade Minister Sattar al-Jaberi said Monday.

“The food ration system should go to those who deserve it from poorer classes, not to high-income groups,” Jaberi told the Iraqi News Agency. Those earning at or above the threshold will have their ration share withheld without cancellation of the card. The decision applies to state employees and their families, including staff in the Interior and Defense ministries and retirees.

The threshold was originally set at 1.5 million dinars in 2021 decisions that also excluded groups including Contractors Union members, company owners, doctors, pharmacists and traders. The government raised it to 2 million dinars ($1,293) in 2022, but Jaberi said current financial pressures prompted a return to the lower figure. It was previously a universal provision.

A recent update of ration card data removed around 5 million names, including deceased individuals, duplicates and people living abroad, contributing to a more accurate database.

The ration card system was introduced in the 1990s to provide Iraqi households with subsidized staples including flour, rice, sugar and cooking oil, and remains a central pillar of the country’s social welfare framework.