Imported goods push local farmers out of the Kurdistan Region market

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Farmers in the Kurdistan Region struggle to sell their products against the backdrop of the market competition presented by imported products, with some claiming they still have potatoes stored from 2023.

Araz Hassan, a farmer from Duhok, mentioned he has 150 tons of potatoes left in storage, which he cannot sell. The unsold potatoes are thrown away, resulting in Hassan having lost over 100 million Iraqi dinars just this year.

"I still have around 140 to 150 tons of potatoes. If potatoes from Iran weren’t imported, mine would sell for around 400 to 450 [per kilo] Iraqi dinars. But since Iranian potatoes are imported, mine won't fetch more than 150 Iraqi dinars [per kilo]," Hassan told Rudaw’s Haydar Doski on Tuesday.

A warehouse storing products to be sold in local markets in Duhok, including ginger, potatoes, cucumbers, several other locally-produced items, as well as products imported from abroad, contains over 33 types of produce.

Ahmed Banasuri, the warehouse owner, told Rudaw that currently products are imported from central and southern Iraq.

Duhok University hosted a conference on agriculture on April 16, focusing on strategies to boost local production and storage capacity, Kurdistan Region’s Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources Begard Talabani was among the attendees.

Despite farmers’ concerns, Talabani told Rudaw on the sidelines of the summit that the Kurdistan Region does not have a problem with selling its products in the domestic market. 

“Thank god, it's been years that we did not have problems with the process of consumption of our products. There will be barriers and obstacles but we always try to be in touch with farmers to eliminate it,” she added.

Despite the Kurdistan Region being characterized by fertile soil, Kurdish farmers often struggle with selling their produce. In 2020, farmers trampled their tomatoes in protest over low prices, and dumped  potatoes in the street, protesting the presence of banned imports that pushed their fruits and vegetables out of the market. 

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has identified iagriculture as a sector it wants to develop as part of efforts to diversify the economy away from oil. 

The Kurdistan Region is projected to produce 750,000 tons of potatoes in 2023, according to a statement from the KRG which added that the government is now taking measures to curb the import of potatoes from other countries.

A main objective of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s cabinet has been to diversify the Region’s economy and take advantage of its fruitful agricultural capabilities to export goods abroad, despite the majority of its agricultural products being imported from neighboring Iran and Turkey.

The Kurdistan Region in December made the first-ever export of its renowned pomegranates to gulf countries, marking the Region's first non-oil export and a landmark step in efforts to broaden the economy.