ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq is reported to have imported over 60,000 tonnes of Indomie noodles worth over $17 million in 2023, an economic expert has announced, citing data by border customs authorities, saying this figure has “surprised” US officials.

Produced by Indofood, an Indonesian company, Indomie is a brand of instant noodles. The company has over a dozen factories in the world, producing over 28 billion packets of Indomie every year, according to Euromonitor International. 

"Iraq imported from all border crossings except the Kurdistan Region about 64,185 tonnes of Indomie noodles worth $17.7 million, equivalent to 23.6 billion dinars, during the year 2023,” economic expert Nabil al-Marsoumi said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

This massive number of Indomie imports by Iraq has "surprised" US authorities, suspecting these imports could have been done to smuggle dollars abroad.  

"It seems that the size of Indomie imports to Iraq is very large and much larger than what is announced,” he said, claiming these numbers have "surprised the US Federal Reserve and made them wonder whether these imports are real… and whether they are means of smuggling dollars abroad.”

Since limiting access to its currency in Iraq in 2022, the US has repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to stem the illegal flow of dollars outside, particularly neighboring Iran and Syria.

Marsoumi indicated that the importation of Indomie noodles by Iraq in 2023 was 18 percent higher compared with the year earlier. 

Yet, Marsoumi suggests the Indomie importation rate could be significantly higher, claiming that "two-thirds” of Iraq’s imports are not registered with the General Authority of Customs.

“The number could be over $50 million annually because two-thirds of Iraq's imports are not registered with the General Authority of Customs,” he said, claiming part of the unregistered imports could have been made through the Kurdistan Region’s border crossings.