ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Bakeries across the Kurdistan Region are grappling with soaring gas prices amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, forcing many to abandon cleaner liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in favor of firewood just to keep their ovens running. In the Raparin administration of Sulaimani province, bakery owner Mohammed Zahir told Rudaw his business, which relies on LPG, has been hit hard by the sharp increase in prices. Before the US-Israel war with Iran started on February 28, Zahir could refill a 22-litre gas cylinder for around $5. That cost has since surged to $22 on the local market, while government-supplied gas has become increasingly scarce. With fuel now both expensive and difficult to obtain, Zahir has resorted to using firewood to keep operations running, a shift he says has made working conditions far more difficult. "We are being suffocated. We are devastated. Using gas was much cleaner and easier... As you can see, we used to sweep [the bakery] all the time every day. The floors could be easily swept. But this is no longer the case. No one wants to work in the dust anymore, not even the workers," he told Rudaw on Sunday. According to local estimates based on cylinder prices, the cost of LPG has jumped from about $0.22 per liter before the war to roughly $0.96. The situation is similar in Zakho, in Duhok province, where another bakery owner said gas shortages have forced many businesses to switch to firewood. "We used to rely on gas. Now we have shifted to wood since gas is no longer available. We did not want the bakery to shut down. We have been burning wood since Eid. We rely on wood now. If there is no wood, the bakeries will close," said Mohammed Housni. Each bakery typically requires around six gas cylinders per day, but access to firewood is also becoming increasingly limited. To cope, some bakeries have begun reducing both the weight and quantity of bread sold to customers. RELATED: Gas prices quadruple across Kurdistan Region as regional tensions disrupt supply Abubakir Ismael contributed to this report from Raparin administration in Sulaimani.
