Iraq rushes to address food-security problems as price of flour trebles

The price of flour in Baghdad has tripled in the past two months, forcing the new Iraqi government to scramble to address its potential food security problems.

The issue is a top priority for Iraq, said Ezaldin Dawlat, the minister of agriculture, pointing to a range of initiatives designed to boost the country's food production.

"We're doing research, supporting small projects, providing interest-free loans to farmers and subsidising prices of fertiliser and grains required," he said in Baghdad. "It's better to begin, rather than not do anything at all."

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Once known as the breadbasket of the Middle East, Iraq was a key exporter of wheat and barley in the 1980s. Devastated by decades of wars, sanctions and neglect, billions of dollars are spent each year on importing staple products such as wheat, rice and sugar.

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