Archive | Agriculture

Iraq Business News brings you the latest news on developments and opportunities in Iraq agriculture.

Iraq’s Rice Harvest Drops to About 100,000 tons

Azzaman reports that Iraqi rice yields have dropped to 108,000 tons from an average 200,000 tons it used to produce annually, increasing the country’s reliance on imports. Iraq is estimated to have imported more than 1.5 million tons of rice last year. The country’s Grain Board said the year’s rice produce has already been shipped […]

Need for Food Storage in Sulaimaniya

Food stocks in the governorate of Sulaimaniya are now less than two weeks according to  Sirwan Mohammed, the head of Sulaimaniya Chamber of Commerce. He told AKnews that since last year his office has been demanding the government allocate land plots to the Chamber so that it can construct new storage units. He added that […]

$21m Silo Under Construction in Erbil

A new silo with a storage capacity of 60,000 tons of wheat is under construction in Erbil province, according to AKnews. An advisor to the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Ministry of Trade and Industry, Faris Majid, told the news agency that the new project, worth $21 million, occupies a 70-acres site on the Erbil-to-Gwer road in […]

12 Dams to Save 20bn Cubic Meters of Water

Authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan are planning to build 12 dams in the semi-autonomous region in an attempt to save about 20 billion cubic meters of water per year, according to a report from AKnews. Currently, there are three main dams in the Kurdistan Region, two in Sulaimaniya province, and one in Duhok province, but these […]

KRG granted 1,500 Agricultural Loans in 2011

The Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) gave loans to almost 1,500 individual projects in 2011, reports AKnews. Nuri Ismael, The Ministry's loans and marketing director, told the news agency that the agricultural banks in Sulaimaniya, Erbil, and Duhok provinces as well as Garmiyan area have given a total of […]

Iraq Opportunity: Food Testing Labs

Iraq's National Investment Commission (NIC) has announced an investment opportunity to establish new Foodstuff Testing Laboratories at the border crossing points. The labs will control all foodstuffs entering Iraq, and should be constructed according to special specifications that ensure the safe storage of all kinds of foodstuffs. They will be constructed according to investment law […]

Olive Processing Factory in Kurdistan

AKnews reports that an Italian company is planning to set up an olive processing factory in the region. The KRG's Agriculture Minister, Jamil Suleiman, told the agency that the Ministry allocated 600 acres of land for growing olives, following a request from the company to facilitate the project. In the second phase, the Ministry will […]

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Iraq Buys 400,000 Tons of Wheat

Bloomberg reports that Iraq bought 400,000 metric tons of wheat from Russia, Australia and Canada. The amounts were: 150,000 tons from Canada; 150,000 tons from Russia; and, 100,000 tons from Australia, Hassan Ismail Ibrahim, director general of the Grain Board, told Bloomberg by telephone. The deadline for the tender expired on 4th December. Iraq plans […]

Iraq Purchases 120,000 Tons of Rice

Iraq bought 120,000 metric tons of rice from India and Pakistan, reports BusinessWeek. The total amount consisted of 90,000 tons of the grain from Pakistan and 30,000 tons from India, said Hassan Ismail Ibrahim, director general of Iraq's Grain Board. Iraq consumes 1.25 million tons of rice a year, mostly imported, according to Ibrahim. The […]

Iraq to Import 3m Tons of Wheat in 2012

Bloomberg reports that Iraq plans to import 3 million metric tons of wheat in 2012, with tenders starting in January. Hassan Ibrahim, director general of the country’s grain board, said in an interview that  the grain board wants $3 billion to spend on grain imports next year, up 10 percent on the 2011 figure. Iraq […]