Iraq has only 190,000 tonnes of rice left for food programme

BAGHDAD: Iraq has only 190,000 tonnes of rice available in its coffers for its food rationing programme, the trade ministry said in a statement late on Saturday. The country needs around 1-1.25 million tonnes of rice a year to support the programme. In March, the trade ministry pleaded for money from the state's budget to build three months' supply of strategic wheat and rice stockpiles as Iraq grappled with the spread of the new coronavirus.