Baghdad – IA – Muhammad Al-Talbi
Today, Thursday, the Minister of Agriculture, Muhammad Karim Al-Khafaji, identified the countries that consume the most local crops, while noting that Iraq has achieved self-sufficiency in five crops.
Al-Khafaji told the (INA): “Iraq took control of the ports by a rate of up to more than 80% after the directives of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and the formation of a committee headed by National Security and Economic Crime and representatives of the agricultural associations and the Directorate of Agriculture,” indicating that “he will conduct a visit to the Kurdistan region.” To negotiate control over existing informal outlets in Kurdistan.
Al-Khafaji added, “Iraq has achieved self-sufficiency in wheat, barley, tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplant, in addition to progress in the field of poultry, eggs, and meat,” noting that “self-sufficiency in crops is achieved with the support of the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance and Port Control.”
He continued, “The Corona pandemic was the most likely for self-sufficiency,” explaining that “the crops that were exported to countries were tomatoes and eggplant.”
He stressed that “dates ranked first in terms of export, as we exported more than 600 thousand tons, in addition to there being a great demand for the potato crop.”
Al-Khafaji stated that “the Gulf countries are the most popular and consuming markets for Iraqi tomatoes and eggplants,” pointing out that “the Gulf market is the closest to Iraqi crops.”