SALAH AL DIN: PROGRESS IN THE ECONOMIC SITUATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BAGHDAD 002713 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD EINV EAGR IZ SUBJECT: SALAH AL DIN: PROGRESS IN THE ECONOMIC SITUATION ¶1. (U) This is a PRT Salah ad Din reporting cable. (U) Summary -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Improved security conditions have had a positive impact on the economic situation in Salah-ad-Din (SaD); it is easier for goods to reach markets; produce prices are dropping and progress is being made in attracting outside investment which will spur growth and help provide jobs. Despite high unemployment and drought, the economic situation in SaD is buttressed by an expanding banking system, cash flow from state owned enterprises, and the public distribution system. END SUMMARY OPEN ROADS INCREASE SUPPLY OF GOODS -------------- ¶3. (U) The great improvement in the security situation means that roads are open and with that the SaD economy is experiencing a supply side surge of resources and commodities such as basic goods, energy products and general merchandise making their way to markets and to dozens if not hundreds of small shops. Khalaf Alwan, the Director General for Food Distributions/PDS, told the PRT that he is seeing an increase in the number of shipments being made to and from his warehouses. &The highest number in the last five years,8 Khalaf said, &The security situation is very good. Trucks are bringing up shipments from Basra now.8 As a result of this supply side boom, the CPI inflation rate for June which came in at negative 6.3 percent over last year, no doubt a result of increased supplies of goods making it to the market. ¶4. (SBU) Costs have also been reduced by removing a series of middlemen who had been exacting &security costs8 prior to the improved security conditions, local sources say. This has been most evident in the produce markets, where the prices of vegetables and fruit have dropped. Locals are also telling PRT members that the combination of increased government salaries and recent supply side surge of resources and commodities has led to a rise in the both incomes of salaried business people and in the real living standard in SaD. IMPROVED SECURITY MAKES ROOM FOR OUTSIDE INVESTMENT -------------- ¶5. (U) The improved security situation has already created a commodity surge, and local hopes are high that it will soon also lead to increased investment. Until recently, the adverse security situation had limited SaD,s ability to attract outside investors. Without their involvement, financing needed for large development projects that spur growth and help provide jobs has been lacking. This is important because unemployment rates have a close relationship to the security environment. Security has now improved so much that SaD officials have decided to seek funding to build the first commercial airport in the province. They believe that building an airport will allow contractors to fly directly into SaD to arrange investor meetings and conduct site surveys. In private conversations, provincial officials have told PRT members that 10 more investment projects will follow the airport. ¶6. (U) Bayji, the home of Iraq,s largest oil refinery and its second-largest power plant, could prove particularly attractive BAGHDAD 00002713 002 OF 004 to outside investors. A majority of the employment in the Bayji area comes from government institutions such as the refinery, thermal power plant, vegetable oil plant and other government facilities. With an improved security environment, the greater Bayji Region could provide an attractive opportunity for foreign firms seeking sites for new industry. HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT BUFFERED BY OTHER FACTORS -------------- -- ¶7. (u) Unemployment is one of the primary economic concerns in SaD. The exact rates are not known, but estimates run anywhere from 25% to over 60%. Despite these high estimates, living conditions are not as poor as we might expect. Infant and elderly health care appears to be largely adequate, malnutrition is not in evidence, local markets basically appear able to meet economic needs, and essential services are generally adequate. Local contacts suggest that this is because of a number of additional factors that help mitigate the potentially catastrophic effects of such high unemployment, to include the expansion of both public and private banks, cash flow from State owned enterprises, and the Public Distribution System. BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BANKS EXPANDING -------------- -- ¶8. (SBU) In SaD the state owned banks are providing impetus in an indirect way for the emergent private sector. These state owned banks are being used as conduits to deploy GoI funds into the private sector. For example, in 2008 SaD has had assigned to it $36 million worth of unsecured credits to would-be entrepreneurs in the form of Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA) loans. In addition, another $24 million for SaD is being supplied through state owned banks directed to larger credits to existing Iraqi private businesses for working capital and equipment loans. These loans range in size from 25,000 to 75,000 dollars. Also, moneys to the private sector are making their way there through any number of micro-finance grants to would-be small business owners and entrepreneurs. So far over one million USD has been committed to micro-finance loans in SaD. Repayment rates on micro-finance credit extension in SaD are almost 100 percent. ¶9. (SBU) The private banking system within SaD is expanding both in terms of physical structure and technological platform at a rapid rate. For example, Al-Warka Bank currently has 110 branches throughout the country and plans to open a total of 17 within the next calendar year. The big unknown factor in terms of quantification is the extent to which SaD (and Iraq) will be able to leverage increased amounts of credit and income flows making their way to the general population. Our contacts suggest that this leveraging of economic activity in SaD is taking place. It is visible in the form of the crowded markets, bazaars and streets congested by both people and vehicles. The only remaining question is the quantification of the change. STATE OWNED ENTERPRISES MOVING CASH TO ACCOUNTS -------------- -- ¶10. (U) Even with the expansion of the banking sector, cash is still the key to the local economy. Large numbers of public sector employees get paychecks every month at large, state-owned banks. This is important because the strongest sources of regular wages in SaD come from the public sector, and Salah ad Din households report that regular wages are their main income source. Compared to the development of private enterprise in SaD, public enterprise BAGHDAD 00002713 003 OF 004 is strong. This does not mean the public system is without challenges. It is poorly managed on the local level and there is hardly any accountability; tracking funds is difficult. The GoI still retains control of many key facilities in Bayji, including the oil refinery, food processing facilities, and even mosques. Yet, despite all the challenges, state money channeled to families in SaD is significant and represents redistribution of oil revenues; this is against the backdrop of very high global oil prices. PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM -------------- ¶11. (U) An important buffer against the effects of poverty in SaD is the Public Distribution System. The PDS is estimated to feed nearly two thirds of Iraq,s population, according to our contacts in SaD. They estimate the contribution the PDS makes to &real8 income in SaD at around 30-40 percent, which they believe to be consistent with the rest of the country, at. By distributing basic commodities evenly across society without regard to religion, or ethnic factors, the PDS has played an important role in keeping a food crisis from developing in SaD. Although the IMF has repeatedly urged the GOI to reform the expensive and unweildy PDS, the rise in oil prices means the country can continue to afford the PDS, SaD leaders argue. Entrepreneurship accelerating -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Local officials cannot give hard data, so much remains unknown, but there is a general feeling that the private sector in SaD is doing much better than previously thought. Entrepreneurship is accelerating. And the transition to a capitalist economy has opened a large window for private entrepreneurs in SaD. The current private market is growing rapidly, ranging from traditional small markets and shops to the private gas stations. ¶13. (U) One example of growing entrepreneurial interest occurred at a recent &business loan day8 held in Siniyah. The purpose of the event was to explain and make available ICERP micro-grants for small-business owners and entrepreneurs. 40 people were invited, and unexpectedly 250 showed up. In the end, 65 ICERP applications were filed, of which 62 were approved. With the improvement in security conditions, there are also growing opportunities for contractors. At a recent meeting between CF and Provincial contracting officials and local contractors, the contractors explained that whereas before their employees were leaving work early in the afternoon due to security concerns, due to the improved security situation they can now work continue working into the late afternoon and evenings. USG contractors like KBR, Parsons, and USACE have been actively hiring sub-contractors for building repairs and projects. COMMENT -------------- ¶14. (SBU) Prior to the last six months, SaD was in the midst of a vicious cycle where lack of security destroyed the social fabric and impeded the economic dynamic. By contrast, today we are in what appears to be the BAGHDAD 00002713 004 OF 004 beginning stages of a virtuous cycle ) a self-generating upward surge ) where gains in security have emboldened Iraqis to engage in economic activity generally but more importantly in entrepreneurial activity. This represents the genesis of belief among SaD residents that individual Iraqis can generate positive change for themselves and their families. This is admittedly fragile and tenuous, but real; if it persists for another 6-12 months it will generate cumulative and exponential gains. In order to adapt to a decentralized bottom-up economy, there is no substitute for the new risk-taking behavior that must be learned to adapt. We are seeing ample indications of the first steps of this entrepreneurial behavior in SaD. End Comment. BUTENIS