ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Ardalan Hussein, a farmer from the Kurdistan Region, is grappling with the Iraqi government’s refusal to procure 50% of his wheat yield, a situation he deems unjust and baseless.
At fifty years old, Hussein has devoted three decades to farming, a profession now carried on by his five children. Despite their collective efforts, the Hussein family, along with many other farmers in the region, faces significant hurdles due to restrictive government procurement policies.
“Two of my trucks of wheat have been accepted, while two others were rejected,” Hussein explained. “We have to sell the rejected produce in the market at a lower price, leading to inevitable losses. The government not only purchases a minimal amount from us but also fails to provide essential fertilizers and pesticides. Farmers are treated unjustly in every way.”
This issue extends beyond Hussein, affecting many farmers in the region who struggle with similar challenges. Muhsin Karim, another farmer, shared his plight. “My yield is 80 tonnes, but I’ve only received a bill for 16 tonnes. They rejected this batch, citing black spots on the seed ends, known scientifically as black points, which are not problematic from an agricultural standpoint.”
Farmers in the Kurdistan Region are raising alarms over the Iraqi government's restrictive procurement policies, which limit the amount of wheat the government buys from them, demanding higher procurement percentages to ensure their livelihoods.
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The root of the problem lies in the procurement restrictions imposed by the Iraqi Ministry of Trade in coordination with the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Agriculture. Halkawt Mohammed, a member of the farmers’ union, highlighted the systemic bias. “When the Iraqi government determines procurement amounts for farmers, it bases these on population percentages and demand. Unfortunately, this year and in previous years, the Kurdistan Region has been treated unfairly. What is acceptable for central and southern provinces is not extended to us; instead, they allocate percentages to us.”
Farmers in the Kurdistan Region are requesting a higher percentage of procurement from their produce to increase their earnings. This year, the Iraqi government decided to procure 700,000 tonnes from the Kurdistan Region’s farmers at 850,000 Iraqi dinars per tonne. However, their yield far exceeds this amount, forcing them to sell the surplus in the market at a lower price than the federal rate.
With reporting by Asra Adnan
