Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq relies on imports for about 95% of its market needs, excluding grains supplied through the food ration system, Prime Minister's financial adviser Mudher Saleh said on Saturday.

Speaking at a trade, economy, and social responsibility forum in Baghdad, Saleh estimated annual private-sector imports of goods and services at $50 billion, rising to $70 billion when government imports are included. He warned against continued dependence on oil revenues to finance imports, particularly consumer goods.

He also called for closer links between trade, agriculture, and handicraft industries to create jobs and proposed establishing a dedicated body to support small and medium-sized producers and integrate local products into food supply chains, cooperatives, and markets through commercial contracts.

Deputy Trade Minister Sattar Al-Jabri told Shafaq News that “the ministry's responsibilities extended beyond securing food supplies to easing financial pressure on households, regulating commercial activity, and maintaining stable markets and fair prices.”

Ibtihal Hashem Al-Rubaie, director-general of the ministry's Administrative and Financial Department, called for greater support for productive businesses, training opportunities for young people and women, and a transparent, stable investment environment.

She argued that companies should be judged not only by profits but also by their contributions to employment, education, environmental protection, and good governance. Social responsibility, she added, should become a lasting institutional practice rather than a collection of isolated initiatives, with public and private institutions working together to direct resources toward sectors most in need.

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