Erbil begins receiving wheat crops from farmers

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Erbil began receiving the first wheat crops from farmers in the province on Saturday, the Kurdistan Region Minister of Trade and Industry Kamal Muslim announced.

Muslim told a press conference that the process of receiving wheat crops from farmers was scheduled to begin on May 25, but it was postponed for three days due to delays in the start of harvesting. 

"We look forward to receiving more wheat crops of this quality at Erbil silo in the coming days," he said. 

The minister confirmed that the farmers will be paid their dues soon, with funds for this purpose having already been deposited in the ministry's account. 

Muslim told another press conference on Wednesday that the marketing of this year's wheat crop will be fully received from all the farmers by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government in Baghdad. 

He also revealed that the wheat stocks in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq have fallen by half this year due to drought and the Russia-Ukraine war. 

Read More: Wheat stocks in Kurdistan Region and Iraq have fallen by half: Minister

In April, the Director of the General Company for Grain Trade at the Iraqi Ministry of Trade, Muhammad Hanoun, revealed that "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."

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