The dollar is driving up vegetable and fruit prices in Sulaymaniyah… and the union explains the reasons.
The dollar is driving up vegetable and fruit prices in Sulaymaniyah… and the union explains the reasons.
2026-10-14
Shafaq News – Sulaymaniyah
The head of the Alwa Sulaimaniyah Syndicate, Sarwar Ali, revealed on Wednesday a significant increase in the prices of imported vegetables and fruits during the past two days, as a result of the rise in the exchange rate of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar, and the accompanying increase in import and transportation costs.
Ali told Shafaq News Agency that “the prices of a number of imported vegetables and fruits have increased during the past two days, as the price of a kilogram of potatoes has increased by about 200 dinars, while the increase in the prices of the rest of the imported varieties ranged between 50 and 100 dinars, compared to their previous prices.”
He explained that “the increase particularly affected products imported from Iran and Pakistan, as a result of trade transactions being affected by fluctuations in the dollar exchange rate, especially since most import operations are linked to foreign currencies.”
He added that “the rise of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar has also affected trade transactions with Iran, as it has led to a change in the value of the Iranian toman against the dollar, which has affected the costs of purchasing goods and transporting them across the border crossings to the Sulaymaniyah markets.”
Ali pointed out that “the repercussions of the high exchange rate were not limited to the purchase prices of imported products, but extended to transportation and shipping costs between regions and border crossings, which contributed to an increase in prices within wholesale markets.”
Regarding the union’s role in monitoring prices, the head of the Alwa Al-Sulaimaniyah union stressed that “the union cannot intervene in the price increases resulting from fluctuations in the dollar exchange rate, as these are linked to monetary policies and government decisions, and are not the result of local procedures or merchants’ practices.”
Ali continued, saying that “the union’s intervention is possible when price changes are related to supply and demand factors within local markets, but increases resulting from changes in currency prices and import costs require action at the governmental level.”
shafaq.com
