Agriculture

PM Barzani forms committee to resolve wheat marketing concerns for Kurdistan Region farmers

Earlier today, Kurdish farmers demonstrated in front of the Erbil silo, demanding that the Ministry of Trade and Industry coordinate with the federal government to offer fair pricing for their commodity.

Kurdistan 24 2023/07/14 17:17

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. (Photo: KRG)

Kurdistan Masrour Barzani Agriculture Wheat silo Iraqi Governemnt KRG

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Friday ordered the formation of a committee to resolve pressing wheat marketing issues of Kurdistan Region farmers.

Sarwar Hawari, a representative of the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), told Kurdistan 24 that the committee consists of four people.

Hawari also assured all farmers that they will be compensated for the 500,000 tons of wheat that the Iraqi government is scheduled to receive.

The farmers indicated that the trucks carrying their wheat have been stationed in front of the Erbil silos for several days with the farmers being prevented from handing over their wheat.

On May 27, PM Barzani visited the Zirarati plain in Erbil to speak with the farmers in the area, in which he stressed the KRG's commitment to focus on the agricultural sector and to market their products on regional and global markets.

In Dec. 2022, the PM highlighted the significance of enhancing the Region’s “underdeveloped” agricultural sector to further strengthen its economy and diversify its revenues. He expressed his government's support for both domestic and foreign investors to participate in the development of the sector, which could guarantee the Region's food security.

The PM reasoned that through agriculture, the Kurdish region can play an effective role in both Iraq and the Middle East, in which there are countries whose lands might be infertile.

"The Kurdistan Region could become Iraq's food basket," the PM added.

One day, the main source of the Kurdish economy, the sale of hydrocarbons, might end, the premier said, adding "it has been a mistake" that the agricultural sector had not been developed earlier.