'Iraq will produce 50 percent less wheat this season': Ministry of Trade

He attributed this reduction to "decreasing water portions, lack of rain, and delays paying farmers' dues."
An Iraqi man collects the wheat harvest in Al-Azeir, May 2, 2007. (Photo: Essam al-Sudani/AFP)
An Iraqi man collects the wheat harvest in Al-Azeir, May 2, 2007. (Photo: Essam al-Sudani/AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Director of the General Company for Grain Trade at the Iraqi Ministry of Trade, Muhammad Hanoun, revealed on Wednesday that the country will only produce about two million tons of wheat this season. 

"This season’s decrease would be 50% compared to what was marketed last season," Hannoun told Iraq's Al-Sabah newspaper. 

He attributed this reduction to "decreasing water portions, lack of rain, and delays paying farmers' dues." 

The reduction coincides with a worldwide rise in the price of wheat due to the Russia-Ukraine war. 

"The current season is a turning point following the state's approval of a package of measures to support the agricultural sector, such as increasing the price per ton of marketed wheat to 750,000 dinars (approximately $500) and paying the wheat marketer's dues by next June," he said.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Commerce announced that the Basra silo belonging to the General Company for Grain Trade has started receiving the first quantities of locally-marketed wheat from farmers for the 2022 season.

On Mar. 22, the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture announced that the country would produce approximately 500,000 tons less wheat in 2022 than in 2021. 

Read More: Iraqi wheat production will decrease in 2022: Agriculture Minister

The United Nations ranks Iraq as the fifth-most vulnerable country to the adverse effects of climate change. Iraq recently endured extreme weather events, droughts, increased salinization, low precipitation, and increased evaporation of its waters. 

Climate change also impacts food security since it affects soil and agriculture. 

Read More: Iraq's Ministry of Trade suggests purchasing 5 million tons of wheat