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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Shelves have been left bare at some stores in the Kurdistan Region as concerned shoppers stock up on household essentials, fearing the spread of coronavirus could lead to shortages. Officials say the public has no reason to panic.
The Kurdistan Region imports almost all of its consumer goods from its northern and eastern neighbors. Rumors the borders could be shut have the public scrambling for goods, including toilet paper, vitamins, disinfectants, facemasks, and non-perishable foods.
“People are a bit concerned and scared,” Erbil resident Darya Nariman told Rudaw outside a local supermarket, holding a large bag of rice.
Aware of the Kurdistan Region’s dependence on Iranian and Turkish imports, Darya admits he has started stockpiling.
Others have refused to get swept up in the panic.
“I have bought goods as I used to,” laughed Dilsoz Aziz, also from Erbil.
Forty-eight percent of the Kurdistan Region’s imports come from Turkey and 17 percent from Iran, according to figures from the Union of Iraq’s Importers and Exporters. The remaining 35 percent is produced domestically.
The KRG’s trade volume with both Iran and Turkey was around $8 billion last year, the Union says.
Store holders are confident they won’t face any shortages of essentials. “There is no issue. Thanks to God, we have everything,” one Erbil shopkeeper said.
The same is true in Sulaimani, where store holders import almost everything over the nearby Iranian border.
“As a businessman, I am aware of Sulaimani city’s stockists. I can guarantee that they can provide the main goods, but not daily ones, for six months,” said local businessman Ismail Mustafa.
Sirwan Mohammed, head of the Sulaimani Chamber of Commerce, says even if the borders with Iran and Turkey are closed, the Kurdistan Region could still import goods via the sea port at Umm Qaser on Iraq’s Gulf coast.
Iran has seen the most serious outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) outside of China, with 7,161 infected and at least 237 dead as of Monday afternoon, according to Iran’s health ministry.
Nearly 60 cases have been recorded in Iraq, including 13 in the Kurdistan Region. Six people have died nationwide, including one in Sulaimani.
The Iraqi government suspended all trade traffic with neighboring Iran on Sunday to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, with plans to reopen the crossings on March 15.
However, the ban does not apply to the Kurdistan Region’s border crossings, which are currently closed to tourist travel, but remain open to trade.
“The Kurdistan Region’s border crossings get their orders from the Kurdistan Regional Government. It is not in the Kurdistan Regional Government’s favor to close its border crossings with Iran or Turkey. Therefore, we expect the crossings to stay open,” Sheikh Mustafa Abdulrahman, head of the Union of Iraq’s Importers and Exporters, told Rudaw on Sunday.
Additional reporting by Arkan Ali and Ranja Jamal
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