ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Erbil’s residents, particularly bakers and taxi drivers, are voicing their frustration over the sharp rise in cooking gas and gasoline prices, which they say is threatening their livelihoods.
Abdulqahar Mohammed, who has run a bakery in Erbil for over 30 years, says the cost of cooking gas has made it nearly impossible to sustain his business.
“The price of a liter of cooking gas was initially 300 dinars, allowing us to purchase 1,000 liters for 300,000 dinars. However, the current price has risen to 400,000 dinars for the same amount,” Mohammed told Zoom News.
“These days, we’re not making any profit, and our work is actually resulting in losses. I have been working as a baker for over 20 years, running my own bakery. However, if the situation continues, I may be forced to close it as we are not making any profit. My colleagues here are also worried about the potential shutdown, which would leave us all without work,” Mohammed added.
Despite the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources’ decision to lower fuel prices, high costs for gasoline and cooking gas persist in the Kurdistan Region. This has led bakery owners to reconsider their businesses and forced taxi drivers to raise fares.
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Taxi drivers are also grappling with skyrocketing gasoline prices. Some are warning that fare hikes may be unavoidable to offset their losses.
“I urge the government to lower gasoline prices. As taxi drivers, unlike private car owners, we have no choice but to raise our fares when gasoline prices go up. The same applies when prices go down. Some passengers argue about the fares, but we have to explain it’s due to the high gasoline prices,” said Maghdid Hassan, a taxi driver.
However, the prices of fuel is cheaper in Iraqi provinces. In Kirkuk. the price of one liter of gasoline is 450 dinars.
“If the price of gasoline is high, and we make 20,000 dinars a day, 10,000 goes for fuel, 5,000 for car maintenance, and we’re left with only 5,000.”
Araz Mirza, another taxi driver, highlighted the poor quality of gasoline and its wider implications.
“Taxi drivers can’t afford gasoline at 925 dinars per liter at private fuel stations. While the government-subsidized fuel is somewhat beneficial, as long as the taxi portion is provided separately. Although the quality of the gasoline is poor, I hope the relevant authorities will have stronger supervision over the private fuel stations.”
Despite the Kurdistan Region producing fuel locally, residents argue that prices continue to climb, contradicting official statements from the Ministry of Natural Resources, which often claims prices have been reduced. Meanwhile, central and southern Iraq benefit from significantly lower fuel prices, adding to frustrations in the Kurdistan Region.
Reporting by Rebin Sardar
