Duhok to Build Major Sugar Factory to Boost Food Security and Create Jobs
Investment Authority Says $110 Million Project Will Link Agriculture with Industrial Growth
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A major sugar production factory will be built in Duhok province in a significant investment project expected to create hundreds of jobs and strengthen local agricultural production, the General Directorate of Investment in Duhok announced on Wednesday.
Dr. Haval Sadiq, Director General of Investment in Duhok, told Kurdistan24 that the project will be established with an investment value of $110 million in the Qasrok area of Shekhan district.
He said the project has already been approved and is currently in the land allocation phase, after which the procedures for issuing the investment license will begin.
Sadiq described the planned facility as “unique at the level of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” noting that it will rely on local agricultural production—particularly sugar beet and sugar cane—to supply raw materials for processing.
He said the project is expected to create a direct link between farmers and the industrial sector, encouraging local agricultural expansion as farmers will be contracted to supply crops directly to the factory. “All suitable agricultural lands in the region can be used for this purpose,” he added.
The investment official emphasized that the project is of strategic importance for food security, stating that it will produce 100 percent natural sugar and reduce reliance on imported and artificial alternatives.
According to the investment authority, the factory will generate between 300 and 400 direct job opportunities, while thousands more indirect jobs are expected to be created for farmers, laborers, and related service sectors.
The output is also planned not only for Duhok and the Kurdistan Region but for other Iraqi provinces and potential export markets in the region.
The announcement comes as the industrial and agricultural sectors in the Kurdistan Region continue to expand in recent years, supported by government efforts to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on imported goods.
The Kurdistan Regional Government has been encouraging both local and foreign investment in large-scale strategic projects as part of a broader policy to strengthen domestic production and economic self-sufficiency.
Officials say the Duhok sugar factory represents a key step in linking agricultural output with industrial development, contributing both to food security and long-term economic resilience in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.