KRG Agriculture Ministry: Farmers free to choose crops as wheat quotas reduced

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Karim Sulaiman, announced on Saturday that farmers have complete freedom to choose their crops this season, following significant changes in federal wheat procurement quotas.

In an interview with Kurdistan24, Sulaiman explained the shift in agricultural policy: "While agriculture isn't limited to wheat cultivation, farmers need to understand the new procurement limitations."

The deputy minister revealed that the federal government has reduced the Kurdistan Region's wheat procurement quota from last year's 700,000 tons to 400,000 tons, despite extensive negotiations with Baghdad.

"After multiple protests and meetings with Iraq's Prime Minister and Agriculture Ministry, we managed to secure a 400,000-ton quota, though this is still significantly lower than last year," Sulaiman stated.

Key points from the announcement:

- Farmers who previously cultivated 100 dunams of wheat will need to reduce their wheat cultivation by more than half to ensure government purchase

- The government will not purchase wheat beyond the allocated quota

- Farmers can continue wheat cultivation but must seek private sector markets for excess production

- Alternative crop selection is now unrestricted

"This annual agricultural plan is set by Baghdad, with specific regional quotas," Sulaiman explained. He confirmed that all provinces and farmers have been informed of their new quotas through a press conference with Iraq's Agriculture Minister.

The policy change reflects broader shifts in Iraq's agricultural strategy and federal budget constraints affecting crop procurement.