Muslims around the globe traditionally break their Ramadan fast by eating dates. In the Kurdistan Region, most of the vendors sell a variety of types of the fruit and sales usually skyrocket during the Islamic holy month. But this year, the markets are not busy like previous years.

Hogr Mohammed owns a large shop in Erbil’s Shekhallah market. He said he was shocked by how few customers he has this year.

“Last year, my two brothers and I, along with three apprentices in this shop, were very busy selling dates. We sold a huge amount. But this year, it is only me, and we have very few customers,” he said.

According to Mohammed, the delays in paying the salaries of government workers is a major factor in the weak market. In addition, before Ramadan, provincial authorities announced an intensive campaign to seize expired dates. This has discouraged people from buying.

The price of dates has also increased this year. A kilo of dates costs between 1,000 and 5,000 dinars (around $0.70 to $3.40), depending on the variety.