The trade exchange rate in Mandali border crossing increased by 10%

The deputy director of Mandali district, Mazen Al-Khuzai, told Shafaq News Agency that the trade exchange rate in Mandali has recently increased by 10% with 60-70 incoming trucks per day, after their number did not exceed 50-60 due to COVID-19 restrictions, the closure of the border crossing, and the customs procedures and requirements. 

Al-Khuzai revealed that the reason behind the decline in trade exchange at the Mandali border crossing is that importing goods and supplies that can be found in the Iraqi market is prohibited. 

It is noteworthy that the customs restrictions imposed by the Iraqi authorities following the outbreak of COVID-19 caused a “mass migration” of commercial convoys towards the border crossings of the Kurdistan region. 

The Iraqi authorities closed the Mandali port (100 km east of Baquba) from March until July 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.