ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The majority of agricultural products in the Kurdistan Region are imported as demand has increased in Ramadan, with around 70 percent coming from neighboring Iran and Turkey, head of Erbil’s fruit and vegetable market told Rudaw on Monday.
The demand for agricultural products has increased since the start of Ramadan and the majority of these are imported, with around 70 percent coming from neighboring Iran and Turkey, the head of Erbil’s fruit and vegetable market told Rudaw on Monday.
“Due to the weather conditions, local produce have not entered the market, in previous years, most of produce would enter the market in April, however the wave of cold in January destroyed all of our local produce,” Head of Erbil’s Produce Market Council, Rajab Aziz, told Rudaw.
Aziz said that demand has doubled during Ramadan, adding that all the products currently one the market are imported from outside.
“Vegetables are imported from Iran and fruits from Turkey, those two countries have dominated the market in the Kurdistan Region,” Aziz said, adding that other produce is imported from Egypt, South Africa, and Ukraine.
Despite having a fertile soil, the Kurdistan Region often struggles with putting local produce into the market.
In 2020, farmers trampled their own tomatoes in protest over low prices, and potato farmers dumped their produce in the street, protesting the presence of banned imports that pushed their produce out of the market.
However, due to increasing demand and the low rate of local produce, The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) decided on Wednesday to remove import tariffs on a number of goods for two months.
“The Council of Ministers approved the suggestions of ministries and relevant authorities regarding the removal of tariffs for two months on goods like flour, rice, sunflower seed oil, vegetable ghee, tea seed, sugar; dried legumes (chickpeas, lentils, borlotti beans, black eyed peas, beans and mung beans) and all types of milk for children,” read the statement from Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s office.
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