Iraq fear food crises

The Islamic State group's control of a trade route
linking Baghdad to Turkey has cut supplies and
caused prices to soar .
Baghdad , Iraq - Almost two months after the Islamic
State group seized Iraq’ s second largest city , Mosul ,
tension seems to have calmed in the capital. But
along the trade supply routes linking Turkey to
Baghdad , which are now under the group’s complete
control , a new threat has emerged: a cut -off from
food supplies.
Thousands of Baghdad residents have begun stock -
piling food to protect themselves from a possible
food crisis . " My entire shop was sold out the first
days after [the Islamic State ] took Mosul ," said Amir
Sameer, 32, who is responsible for filling the shelves
at Al- Warda supermarket in Karada , an upperclass
neighbourhood of Baghdad .
" People believed that [ the Islamic State group] would
take over the city . Everybody wanted to buy dry food
beforehand ," Sameer told Al Jazeera.
The road under Islamic State control follows the
bank of the Tigris river, and enters Iraq at the city of
Dahuk. Only a few kilometres to the south lies the
recently- seized city of Mosul . After crossing through
Mosul, the road continues past the cities of Baiji and
Samara, before finally reaching Baghdad.
As heavy fighting continues over control of Mosul
and in Samara, many import goods can 't make it to
the capital . The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO ) reported that Baghdad depends
on imports for almost 80 percent of its food supply ,
and the majority comes from Turkey.
" Food prices have increased by at least 30 percent
and the price of gas is fifty times higher, " Hilal
Mohammed, deputy head of mission at the FAO, told
Al Jazeera .
" The latter has far -reaching consequences . People
are no longer able to harvest their land and
transportation of goods is severely pressured. We
also had to halt our [FAO] programme of food
distribution already in four governates . It is
dangerous for us to work and almost impossible due
to the lack of gas ," Mohammed said.
He estimated that about 10 million Iraqis might be
impacted . "In the next days we will witness more
shortages and we will get a better idea of how
severe this threat is ," he added .
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The route that connects Turkey with Iraq provides
the country with more than $9 bn annually, according
to economic analyst and vice- chairman of the Iraqi
Economists Association , Basem J . Anton. " Turkey
has seen its exports deminish [ by] at least 30
percent," Anton told Al Jazeera.
The Islamic State group's control over the road has
led to an increase in the cost of products in
Iraq. This is despite the Ministry of Interior 's efforts
to form a task force to monitor the prices .
" The government is controlling this strictly . Vendors
are not supposed to sell at higher prices. If they do,
they will be fined severely for that," Baqar Jafar
Jawad , the director of Baghdad’ s Chamber of
Commerce , said .
But these measures are at the expense of the city ’s
retailers. " We sell at the same price , but we buy at
125 percent of the usual price ," said Hassan
Mohammed, who owns a small shop on Baghdad ’s
main shopping street.
His shelves are filled with Turkish import goods, but
the stocks are almost exhausted. " I used to buy this
one for 2 ,000 Iraqi dinar ( $2 ), " he said, while passing
a can of Turkish tomatoes across the counter in
front of him . "Today , I pay at least 2 ,400 Iraqi dinar
($ 2 .50 ) for it ."
He told Al Jazeera that his income over the last few
weeks has gone down by at least 10 percent. " And it
doesn’ t look like that will get any better soon ," he
said, pointing to frozen chicken and beef.
" Previously, I bought even the meat in Turkey, but
nowadays that is impossible . Iraqis prefer Turkish
products because [they ’re] cheaper and of better
quality ."
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Meanwhile , Turkish truck drivers are increasingly
worried about travelling through Iraq. Aydin Camci
has been driving the Turkey - Iraq trade route for two
years. "Our company still exports to Iraq , but only in
the north ," Camci said.
He told Al Jazeera that he is now afraid to enter
Baghdad : " Since prime minister Nouri al - Maliki
accused Turkey of collaborating and supporting
Islamic State fighters in the north , the Turks are
more cautious ."
Islamic State fighters released 32 Turkish lorry
drivers , who had been held hostage for more than
three weeks , in early July. But this hasn' t assuaged
fears . " In the south , the people are turning against
us. In the north , it is [Islamic State] who’ s
threatening us ," Camci said .
A spokesperson for the World Health Organization
(WHO ) told Al Jazeera that the crisis could have an
affect on the entire country. "There are alternative
roads to reach Baghdad - for example, through
Jordan - but these alternatives can ’t provide [for ]
the [Iraq 's ] entire needs," said Hussain al - Biytar.
" A couple of days ago one of our drivers got
hijacked, " he said. "They [ fighters] didn’t harm the
driver, but they took the car with the [UN ] inscription ,
as well as the medicines stock that was on board."