Agriculture adopts winter season plan with wide areas

Minister of Agriculture Abdul Rahim Al-Shammari announced, on Wednesday, that the Council of Ministers approved the winter agricultural plan for the 2026-2027 agricultural season, covering a total area of 7,489,444 dunums, an increase of about 40 percent compared to the previous agricultural season. Al-Shammari said during a press conference that the agricultural sector faces several challenges, foremost among them climate change, water scarcity, and the financial crisis, which led to a delay in paying farmers' dues for the past two seasons, indicating that the ministry has placed addressing these challenges and advancing the agricultural sector among its priorities. He added that the ministry issued a package of decisions and instructions and directed agricultural directorates to implement them in order to support farmers, considering agriculture a primary source of income for a wide segment of Iraqi society, noting that the winter plan was prepared in a more diverse manner to encourage farmers to increase the productivity of a single dunum. He explained that the plan includes cultivating 5,334,898 dunums with wheat, 1,767,440 dunums with barley, in addition to 387,106 dunums for winter vegetable crops, field crops, legumes, and forage crops. He pointed out that the total area of the plan rises from about 4.5 million dunums in the 2025-2026 agricultural season to 7,489,444 dunums in the current season, an increase of about 40 percent. Al-Shammari indicated that the plan includes maintaining the stability of wheat purchase prices, stating that the Council of Ministers approved purchasing wheat production within an area of up to one thousand dunums at a price of 700,000 dinars per ton, while the purchase price for production exceeding the plan for areas larger than one thousand dunums was set at 500,000 dinars per ton. He pointed out that about 90 percent of farmers are covered by the higher price, explaining that this policy aims to achieve stability for farmers and secure production costs, alongside rationalizing financial support by purchasing wheat at a price higher than the global price. The plan includes 5,234,944 dunums of irrigated areas using various irrigation methods, compared to 2,254,500 dunums of rain-fed areas, while wheat areas are distributed into 2,444,856 dunums within modern irrigation systems, 1,973,024 dunums within rivers and irrigation projects, and 917,018 dunums of rain-fed lands. Al-Shammari stressed that diversifying the plan between wheat, barley, vegetables, legumes, and forage crops, including alfalfa and clover, allows large areas to be included in the plan, as well as supporting livestock through the provision of locally produced fodder. Regarding the barley file, the Minister of Agriculture noted that a decision was obtained from the Council of Ministers allowing the Mesopotamia General Company for Seeds and the Iraqi Company for Seed Production to receive the barley crop from farmers without support, according to instructions to be issued in this regard, while allowing the two companies to export the crop abroad. He added that the ministry also obtained a decision to support the sale of plan seeds to farmers and growers by 70 percent, in addition to 100 percent pesticide support for the wheat crop included in the agricultural plan. Regarding fertilizers, Al-Shammari explained that the ministry succeeded in raising customs duties on the import of fertilizers from abroad, amounting to 35 percent, in addition to authorizing the Ministry of Agriculture to purchase DAP fertilizer directly from manufacturing plants, stressing that the measures will contribute to lowering fertilizer prices, reducing production costs, and supporting farmers. Regarding irrigation systems, he confirmed the continued supply of pivot irrigation systems with capacities of 60, 80, and 120 dunums to farmers and investment companies, with a 30 percent support provided to farmers and a repayment period of up to 10 years. Regarding the registration procedures within the winter agricultural plan, Al-Shammari pointed out the facilitation of procedures for farmers and growers, stating that their inclusion in the plan will be for those who have a legal relationship with the lands, whether through a valid contract, title deed, or an official investment contract. The Minister of Agriculture stressed the necessity of actual exploitation of the lands by farmers and growers, holding agricultural directorates and their affiliated agricultural offices legally responsible in case of violation.