Iraq: Salaries Cutoff Causes Low Demand in Iraqi Markets Ahead of Ramadan

Amid economic meltdown and stagnant markets, Iraqi citizens receive Ramadan holy month, not to mention that salary cutoff has been the norm for the last 4 months. Merchants complain about the economic disastrous status quo as markets are empty. Reber Mohammed, a grocery shop owner, pointed out that sales during Ramadan used to surge by 30 to 50% in comparison to other months. This year, Ramadan is marked with a poor purchasing power that dwindled by 50%. He added that citizens are no longer purchasing many food items such as dates, and juices as they only buy the most basic food necessities