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Viewing cable 09BAGHDAD522, SHOW ME THE POWER," SAYS EAST BAGHDAD BUSINESSMAN

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09BAGHDAD522 2009-03-01 09:04 2011-08-30 01:44 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Baghdad
R 010904Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1921
UNCLAS BAGHDAD 000522 
 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL ASEC IZ
 
SUBJECT:  "SHOW ME THE POWER," SAYS EAST BAGHDAD BUSINESSMAN 
 
1.  This is a Baghdad EPRT-2 reporting cable. 
 
2.  SUMMARY:  Electricity is now the biggest problem for 
manufacturers in eastern Baghdad.  In the continuing absence of 
reliable power from the national grid, many manufacturers must 
generate their own power but cannot buy an adequate supply of fuel 
at the official (subsidized) price.  One big company owner thinks he 
could add fifty jobs to his payroll if the company could get more 
fuel or reliable power at a lower price.  Under the present system, 
in which the GOI sets an official fuel price too low to align supply 
and demand, companies must turn to unofficial suppliers who often 
sell adulterated fuel.  The GOI's failure to complete liberalization 
of the fuel market inhibits growth and promotes corruption.   END 
SUMMARY. 
 
MANUFACTURING IN A BAD NEIGHBORHOOD 
 
3.  The Aladeen Water Heater Company (AWHC) factory is situated in 
the Kamaliyah Industrial Park in eastern Baghdad's 9 Nissan 
district, which borders Sadr City.  According to local wisdom, 
"everything that goes into and comes out of Sadr City goes through 9 
Nissan."   Historically, and even recently, 9 Nissan has been a 
launching point for rockets aimed at the International Zone and 
other parts of Baghdad.  The residents of 9 Nissan are typically 
lower-middle class, and socio-economic status declines the farther 
east and north one goes in the district, which terminates in the 
outlying Shawra Wa Um Jidr area. 
 
4.  The situation in the Kamaliyah Industrial Park is bleak after 
years of absent security and terribly insufficient electricity, both 
of which are crucial for the operation of factories.  Currently 90 
percent of the factories in the Kamaliyah Industrial Park are 
closed.  Industrialists evacuated Kamaliyah largely because of the 
bad security situation and the lack of financing.   Most of the 
remaining businesses and factories are small in scale, with the 
exception of AWHC.  While Kamaliyah has the distinct rustbelt 
atmosphere of defunct factories, AWHC hums with the tune of business 
as usual.  During several recent EPRT visits, employees were busy 
working, machines roared, and the place was clean. 
 
FACTORIES NEED LOWER FUEL COSTS TO EXPAND 
 
5.  AWHC's owner and manager, who goes by the name Abu Ahmed, 
explained during a recent visit that his company now employs 125 
"laborers" and 17 "employees" full-time.  This makes AWHC the 
largest private employer in 9 Nissan by a large margin.  At full 
capacity in decades past, Aladeen employed 430 full time workers in 
two shifts.  Laborers now earn $250 per month.  He is the sole 
owner; the GOI has no stake in the business.  Due to improvements in 
security, Abu Ahmed said, "ten people per day walk in and ask for a 
job."   His factory produces approximately 2,800 hot water heaters 
per week, which he sells throughout Iraq through a network of 
private distributors. 
 
6.  Abu Ahmed said he spends at least $10,000 per month on diesel 
fuel for the generator that powers his factory.  When asked what he 
needed in order to expand his business and hire more workers, Abu 
Ahmed replied, "I desperately need reasonably-priced fuel."  Like 
every other business owner in Baghdad, Abu Ahmed is unable to get 
his full allocation of government-priced fuel and is therefore 
forced to buy from the black market.   He said that if he could 
access reasonably priced fuel, he could immediately increase his 
employment by 50. 
 
GOI NEGLECTS 9 NISSAN 
 
7.  Historically, the GOI has neglected to provide the Baghdad 
district of 9 Nissan with good essential services, and in recent 
years the situation has only grown worse.  Currently the Kamaliyah 
Industrial Park gets electricity from the national grid for only two 
QIndustrial Park gets electricity from the national grid for only two 
or three hours during business hours (0730 - 1530).  The main street 
of the Kamaliyah Industrial Park is in such poor condition it is 
nearly impassable.  In all, Abu Ahmed said, "the GOI does not 
support industrial sites." 
 
8.  Asked if any politicians or political parties advocate on behalf 
of private industry, Abu Ahmed replied, "The GOI is useless. The 
politicians speak nice words but don't act on them.  Politicians 
acknowledge the 'import problem', but haven't helped the situation. 
We are able to compete in this business because of our good product 
and reputation, even though our product is a little bit more 
expensive."   He noted the GOI had issued a tender to supply 100,000 
solar heaters through the Ministry of Trade - but the GOI was going 
to give the business to the Chinese. 
 
9.  Abu Ahmed said if the U.S. really wanted to help, the best way 
would be to help him get his "rightfully allocated Ministry of Oil 
subsidized fuel."  He opened a folder and pulled out a paper from 
the Ministry of Oil that authorized him to purchase 18,333 liters of 
fuel per month at the official price.   In all, Aladeen factory 
consumes 32,000 liters per month.   "You know how many liters I was 
able to purchase last month?" Abu Ahmed asked.  "Two thousand.  The 
other 16,333 are stolen."  As a consequence, he had to purchase the 
remaining needed fuel at the black market price.  "It is terrible 
quality fuel that damages my generators." 
 
COMMENT 
 
10.  The travails of AWHC and Abu Ahmed starkly illustrate how the 
GOI's failure to remove subsidies for energy - whether fuel for cars 
and generators or electricity for homes and factories - distorts the 
efficient operation of a free market and impedes economic 
development in Baghdad and beyond.  While the GOI eliminated direct 
subsidies for nearly all fuels at the urging of the International 
Monetary Fund, it has not followed through with full liberalization 
of the fuel market.  Similarly, Iraq has no price mechanism to bring 
the demand for electricity in line with the supply.   As long as the 
GOI avoids tackling these problems, they will continue to inhibit 
productivity gains and any hopes for job growth in the Baghdad 
rustbelt. 
 
 
BUTENIS