Iraqi Parliament Passes Urgent Food Security Bill Amid Political Deadlock

• Hashim Sheikh
• . June 9, 2022
• . Update: June 10, 2022 3:32 pm
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Iraq–Iraq’s parliament passed an emergency bill on Wednesday that will allow the Iraqi government to transfer public funds to meet urgent needs for food security and development in the country, as Iraq’s deeply divided parliament left the country without a budget.

The bill titled ‘Emergency Law for Food Security and Development’ will allocate 25 trillion Iraqi dinars to the government to boost the country’s efforts to subsidise food. With the help of this money, the Iraqi government can buy wheat, rice, gas and energy, pay salaries, and improve service provision, including in the power sector.

The food security bill

Since early this year, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi’s administration has been pushing for the emergency bill to be passed into law due to delays in the approval of the 2022 budget. The food security bill will be immediately enforced. It will be valid until a national budget is approved.

Political deadlock over the formation of the new government has affected the country. Political deadlock among parties has also led to the failure to elect a president.

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Food security concerns in Iraq

Iraq has significant food security concerns due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, unemployment in Iraq, and various other internal conflicts. According to the World Food Programme, more than two million Iraqis require food assistance.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has also led to food price hikes in Iraq. The prices of wheat-derived goods have increased by 20 per cent. The government also needs to pay 30 per cent more to Iraqi farmers for their wheat. The poverty rate in Iraq has also reached 23 per cent, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Planning.

The food security bill is important for Iraqis because political and economic uncertainty and social unrest due to unemployment have severely affected the country. The bill will allow expanding food subsidies.