Kurdistan region bans importing several crops to protect domestic produce

Kurdistan region bans importing several crops to protect domestic produce

kurdsatnews

Jul 21, 2022

Farmers harvest watermelon in the Kurdistan region.

Following our efforts to solve the problem of selling farmers' products in Penjwen and other cities of the Kurdistan Region, thanks to the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture that decided to ban imports that are abundantly produced in the Kurdistan region," Kurdistan region minister of agriculture Begard Talabani announcedon her Facebook page.

Tomatoes and Potatoes are abundantly produced in the Kurdistan region. Earlier, Talabani said that potato was the most grown crop in the region; it is yield is even more than grain.

"Kurdistan Region We would like to thank the Iraqi Minister of Agriculture, the Iraqi Minister of Justice, Mr. Gharib from the Agriculture Committee of the Iraqi Parliament and all those who have been concerned with us, minister Talabani added.

However, imports from Iran oblige farmers to sell their products at low prices, throwing them into financial distress.

Last week, farmers from Sulaimani tossed their products on the roads and shut down a highway in Sulaimani, citing low prices the farmers asked for low costs. One ton of cucumber was sold for only 60 US dollars.

The Iraqi ministry of agriculture published the import ban list that includes cucumber, potato, tomato, eggplant, melon, and watermelon, the most commonly grown products in the Kurdistan region.

The decision would help domestic produce to grow and restore credibility in farming which has long been ignored due to imports from Iran and Turkey.

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