1,000 tons of Kurdish pomegranates to be exported to France

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Idress Anwar, the owner of a pomegranate harvest business in the Kurdistan Region, on Wednesday told Kurdistan 24 that he signed a contract for the export of 1,000 tons of pomegranates to France.

Mr. Anwar thanked the office of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani for “facilitating the deal.”

The contract stipulates that the pomegranates are to be sourced from Halabja and Zakho.

Anwar added that in the first phase, 100 tons of pomegranates will be exported through the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing on Wednesday, and the remaining amount will be exported “over the next few days.”

Last year, about 2,000 tons of pomegranates, mostly from Halabja, were exported to the UAE and other Gulf countries. This year, preparations are underway to export other products such as apples, figs, grapes, and honey to the Gulf.

Pomegranates in the Kurdistan Region ripen in early September and remain consumable until December. Marketing and exporting domestic products is a core agenda goal for the Ninth Cabinet’s Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources.

Aside from pomegranates, potatoes are the main agricultural export by the Kurds. The vast majority of Kurdish potatoes are sought by Gulf countries and their international fast-food chains, such as KFC, McDonald’s and Hardee's, which view both the quality and price of the product as unrivaled.

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