Fruit and vegetable merchants incur huge losses in latest lockdown
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The latest coronavirus lockdown has dealt a huge blow to fruit and vegetable markets across the Kurdistan Region, incurring millions of dinars in losses.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) imposed a six-day lockdown on Monday evening following a spike in coronavirus cases across the Region. The government rescinded the decision on Tuesday evening following protests by locals in Sulaimani province, desperate to reopen their businesses after months of closures. The lockdown is now scheduled to end at 6pm on Wednesday evening.
Wholesale fruit and vegetable markets were permitted to remain open on Tuesday, but with few buyers- leading to an estimated total of 570 million dinars ($467,000) in losses across Erbil, Sulaimani and Duhok provinces.
A lack of sales resulted in losses of 70 million dinars ($57,300) at Duhok's wholesale market alone, according to data Rudaw's Farhad Dolamari received from local officials.
"Who was going to buy?" Sabah Hussein, a buyer at the market told Rudaw. "I refused to bring any produce to my market [on Tuesday] because it would end up spoiling. There were no buyers."
Erbil farmers working at the wholesale fruit and vegetable market in the capital say the short-lived lockdown cost them 300 million dinars ($245,000) in losses.
"In Alwa [customs market], we sell 250 to 300 tons of produce every day. But today, not even one kilo of products was sold," Rajab Haji Aziz, head of Erbil's wholesale fruit and vegetables market told Rudaw, adding that merchants collectively lost 300 million dinars ($245,000).
"One kilo of produce previously sold for 700 or 800 dinars has dropped in value to 100 to 200 dinars," Aziz said.
"Why has the government allowed the Alwa [wholesale market] to remain open where there is no shops open across Erbil?" Mohammed Jamal, owner of a fruit and vegetables stand at the market, told Rudaw. "There are no buyers here to buy anything from us."
Sulaimani farmers estimate they have lost approximately 200 million dinars [$163,000] in revenue as a result of the lockdown.
"[On Tuesday] we received a lot of produce, but there are no shoppers because of the lockdown," Sarwar Ali, head of the Sulaimani Alwa Syndicate told Rudaw.
The number of coronavirus cases in the Kurdistan Region has skyrocketed in recent days. As of Wednesday morning, 830 cases of the virus have been recorded, including 14 deaths. There are currently 382 active cases.
Reporting by Farhad Dolamari