ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The wheat procurement period in the Kurdistan Region concluded on July 20, but significant concerns from farmers remain unaddressed by both the Iraqi Federal and Kurdistan Regional Governments. The primary issues include restrictive procurement policies from Iraq’s Ministry of Trade, rejection of various wheat varieties, and the necessity to sell remaining crops at lower local market prices.
The Kurdistan Region was allocated 700,000 tons from Iraq’s nationwide wheat procurement, yet only 686,000 tons were actually procured from local farmers. Some farmers refrained from delivering their yield to the silos, citing rejections of certain wheat varieties deemed “unworthy” by silo operators.
Haji Abdul Qadir, a farmer from Erbil, harvested 80 tons of wheat but opted not to deliver any to the silos after receiving a bill for only 25 tons. He also reported a 5-ton loss per truck during the cleaning process, alongside significant transportation costs.
Farmers have reported that the remaining crops from this year’s output are either being converted to livestock fodder or stored for next year’s planting season, although only 50,000 to 60,000 tons of wheat are required annually for planting.
“Both wheat buyers and farmers incurred substantial losses as silos refused to procure the entire yield. Consequently, the wheat had to be sold at market prices, which were 450,000 Iraqi dinars per ton—nearly half the price set by the silos,” said a wheat buyer from Erbil.
“We purchased wheat from farmers at higher prices and transported it to the Makhmour silo, only to find it closed. Now, we must bring it back and store it for next year’s planting season. If it remains unsold by then, we will convert it to animal fodder,” added another grain buyer.
This year, the Kurdistan Region produced over one million tons of wheat. However, the Region lacks a public factory to process the wheat into flour and does not have the capacity to procure the entire annual harvest.
Nawzad Sheikh Kamil, General Director from the KRG’s Ministry of Trade, emphasized to Zoom News the need for both infrastructure development and groundwork to enhance the agricultural sector. He highlighted the necessity of establishing factories and silos and increasing procurement capacity to support farmers in the Kurdistan Region.
Iraq’s State Grain Marketing Company began wheat procurement from farmers in the Kurdistan Region on June 6, with a total allocation of 700,000 tons. The process concluded on July 20, amidst ongoing concerns from farmers about the procurement procedures.
Reporting by Diyar Adil
