Economic expert Nasser Al-Tamimi commented today, Friday (February 21, 2025), on the impact of opening government-supported “hypermarkets” on the private sector.
Al-Tamimi told that “the opening of government-supported ‘hypermarkets’ will not affect the issue of supporting the private sector at all, especially since these markets sell local products produced by the private sector.” He pointed out that this in itself supports the private sector and national products, which the Iraqi government has always emphasized.
He added, “The Iraqi government is moving towards supporting the private sector in large-scale projects and industrial factories, not through markets selling food products. These ‘hypermarkets’ support the citizen by selling at lower prices than the market. This is a practice in many countries around the world, and it will greatly relieve the burden on the citizen.”
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani inaugurated six “hypermarket” centers in Baghdad via a television link.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s media office, clarified that “these centers are designated for selling food, goods, and merchandise at subsidized prices.”
It continued, “The Prime Minister launched the implementation of 23 similar projects in Baghdad and other provinces.”
The Iraqi Ministry of Trade had announced at the end of August 2024 that it had completed preparations to open five new “hypermarket” centers in Baghdad, which offer services to shoppers at subsidized prices, with discounts of up to 20% compared to local market prices.
