First Dairy Products Festival Opens in Duhok’s Semel District, Drawing Strong Demand for Local Kurdish Cheese

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The first Dairy Products Festival officially opened in the Semel district, Duhok province, bringing together 100 livestock breeders and farmers in a major showcase of locally made dairy products that attracted large crowds and strong consumer demand.

On the festival’s opening day, traditional homemade products received an enthusiastic response from visitors, particularly authentic Kurdish white cheese and Zhazhi, a fermented Kurdish cheese known for being cholesterol-free. One vendor alone reportedly sold more than 300 kilograms of dairy products in a single day, highlighting the growing popularity of local homemade foods.

Despite the availability of more than 23 varieties of dairy products in local markets—most of them imported from outside the Kurdistan Region—festival visitors showed overwhelming preference for locally produced goods, citing their quality, freshness, and traditional taste.

Semel Mayor Dizhwar Shawkat told Kurdistan24 that the festival created an important commercial opportunity for participating farmers and producers.

“This festival provided an excellent business opportunity for participants to display their products,” Shawkat said. “There was a very large turnout and many visitors. A significant amount of the showcased products were sold.”

Farmer and vendor Ahmed Obeid said demand was especially high for traditional cheese and Zhazhi products sourced from areas including Van, Hakkari, and villages in the Barwari region.

“There is huge demand for cheese and Zhazhi,” he told Kurdistan24. “We offer several types, including aged Zhazhi and other high-quality varieties with excellent taste. Many people are eager to buy them.”

Customers also praised the authenticity and health benefits of the locally made dairy products.

“These are all our own local products—homemade cheese,” customer Salahaddin Mohammed told Kurdistan24. “The cheese is very good and contains no harmful fats. I bought this one because it is stored in animal skin. Cheese kept in plastic spoils quickly, but the one preserved in skin stays fresh much longer.”

Organizers said the strong turnout and high sales have encouraged plans to expand the festival in future years by increasing the number of tents and dedicating additional sections to support local producers and strengthen domestic production.

The inaugural Dairy Products Festival in Semel will continue for three days, featuring a wide range of traditional dairy products from across the Kurdistan Region.