Ministry of Trade (Iraq)

The Ministry of Trade (MoT; Arabic: وزارة التجارة) is a central government ministry of Iraq tasked with regulating and facilitating trade activities. It owns a conglomeration of state-owned enterprises and operates a nearly $6bn annual budget that provides a monthly public food distribution program for Iraqis. This conglomerate also manages the import of grain, seeds, and construction materials.

While Iraq is a potentially wealthy country due to huge oil deposits, decades of wars and sanctions have led to the collapse of infrastructure and social services. These occurrences have resulted in many people being left without sufficient food or nutrition. A 2008 survey estimated that 930,000 Iraqis were food insecure, with an additional 6.4 million vulnerable to food security without the Public Distribution System (PDS).