Iraqi Import Ban Opens Path for Kurdistan Region to Export Live Poultry
The Kurdistan Region will officially export surplus live chickens to southern and central Iraq after Jan. 15, filling a gap left by a federal ban on frozen imports while protecting local prices.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced on Sunday that it is finalizing arrangements to officially export live chickens to cities in southern and central Iraq. The initiative marks a significant shift toward regularizing trade protocols between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government in Baghdad, a move that officials say is timed to coincide with impending changes to national import regulations.
Firas Sadiq, the Director of Animal Wealth at the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, confirmed the development in a statement to Kurdistan24 on Sunday. According to Sadiq, the transition to an official export mechanism is expected to be implemented in the immediate future, following ongoing efforts to coordinate the process with the Iraqi government.
The decision aims to streamline the movement of poultry products across regional boundaries and integrate the Kurdistan Region’s substantial production capacity into the broader Iraqi market through authorized legal channels.
A primary catalyst for this policy shift is a regulatory decision by the Iraqi government regarding foreign poultry. Sadiq indicated that federal authorities have decided to implement a ban on the importation of frozen chicken from foreign countries starting Jan. 15.
This prohibition on foreign frozen products is expected to create a supply gap in the markets of central and southern Iraq, presenting an opening for domestic producers to fill the demand.
Consequently, the Ministry anticipates that the official export of live chickens from the Kurdistan Region to these areas will likely commence shortly after the Jan. 15 deadline passes.
The Director of Animal Wealth provided detailed insight into the current state of the poultry trade, describing a system that has functioned until now largely outside of formal government protocols. Sadiq noted that the export of live chickens to southern and central Iraq is currently conducted in an "unofficial manner."
Under this existing arrangement, merchants transporting poultry are subject to ad hoc financial collections at various checkpoints.
The move to formalize these exports is intended to replace this irregular system with a structured, government-sanctioned process, thereby eliminating the reliance on unofficial transit methods and the associated payments collected from merchants at security barriers.
Central to the Ministry’s announcement was a strong emphasis on protecting the economic interests of consumers within the Kurdistan Region. Addressing concerns that opening official export channels might drive up the cost of poultry for local residents, officials provided assurances that price stability remains a priority.
Sadiq emphasized that the government will not allow the export initiative to become a cause for price increases within the Kurdistan Region. The strategy relies on a strict management of supply, wherein exports are calculated based solely on production that exceeds local consumption needs.
To support this assurance, the Ministry of Agriculture released comprehensive statistical data outlining the region’s production capabilities versus its domestic consumption.
Sadiq explained that the Kurdistan Region produces approximately 300,000 tons of chicken meat annually. In contrast, the domestic demand for chicken meat within the region stands at nearly 150,000 tons per year. This disparity between supply and demand results in a substantial annual surplus of approximately 150,000 tons.
"Therefore, we will export the amount that is surplus to domestic demand, and this will prevent a rise in chicken prices," Sadiq told Kurdistan24.
By limiting exports to this surplus quantity, the Ministry aims to insulate the local market from shortages that could trigger inflation in food prices, ensuring that the needs of the Kurdistan Region’s population are met before goods are authorized for shipment to southern and central provinces.
The scale of the industry supporting this export plan is extensive.
According to the statistics provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, the sector is underpinned by a robust infrastructure consisting of 2,005 poultry farms operating across the Kurdistan Region. These facilities are responsible for raising more than 105 million chickens every year.
It is this high volume of livestock that allows for the production of the 300,000 tons of meat cited by the Director, securing the region’s status as a major producer capable of supplying markets beyond its own borders.
The transition to official exports represents the culmination of current efforts to align the Kurdistan Region's agricultural output with federal needs. As the Jan. 15 ban on foreign frozen chicken approaches, the coordination between Erbil and Baghdad is poised to operationalize the vast surplus generated by the region's 2,005 farms.
The upcoming framework is designed to satisfy the market demands of southern and central Iraq while simultaneously safeguarding the purchasing power of consumers in the Kurdistan Region through the strategic management of the 150,000-ton annual surplus.