Meat prices rise in Erbil, fall in Sulaymaniyah amid Kurdistan economic strain

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Meat prices have moved in opposite directions across the Kurdistan Region, rising in Erbil while falling in Sulaymaniyah, in a split that residents and traders link to deepening economic pressures. In Erbil, boneless beef reached 21,000 Iraqi dinars per kilogram and bone-in beef 17,000 dinars, according to resident Hemin Kadir, who called on the authorities to expand imports and provide direct support to breeders. Livestock trader Saman Surchi attributed the Erbil increases to higher costs for animal feed, veterinary supplies, transport and fuel. Local resident Ahmed Murad said salaries in the Kurdistan Region have remained unchanged for years while food, rent and service costs have continued to climb, with no raises or promotions since 2015. In Sulaymaniyah, mutton prices dropped from 27,000 to under 25,000 dinars per kilogram, and butchers described the market as nearly idle. Aso Omar, a representative of the Sulaymaniyah butchers' market, said beef is selling for between 10,000 and 22,000 dinars per kilogram and attributed the decline to collapsing purchasing power. Economic observer Arslan Muhammad said the local price drop, set against persistently high production and transport costs, points to rising supply, possibly aided by easier smuggling of livestock across the Iranian border amid security developments there.