Al-Sudani affirms the government’s support to the agricultural field

Baghdad-INA
 
Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani, declared the beginning of the marketing season for wheat and barley crops in the Wasit Governorate. During his visit to the grain examination laboratory, he was briefed on the laboratory's operational procedures.
 
During the visit, Al-Sudani presented a check to the first farmer who marketed their wheat and barley crops. He commended the efforts of the farmers and pledged the government's support to establish agricultural projects. Al-Sudani also announced that full-time agricultural graduates from faculties of agriculture, veterinary and agricultural institutes, and preparatory schools would be supported by granting them lands and financial loans to establish their agricultural projects. This initiative aims to boost the agriculture sector, which alongside industry, represents two primary drivers of the Iraqi economy.
 
The following are highlights from the Prime Minister's remarks:
 
Supporting agriculture is not a luxury, but a necessity. We are facing a crisis of existence and food security challenge for our people.
 
At the beginning of the agricultural season, the government was presented with an agricultural plan for up to 4.5 million dunums. However, due to water scarcity in the region and Iraq, the areas of the plan were distributed only over irrigated lands and other areas dependent on artesian wells. After the current rainy season, the agricultural plan has expanded to over 7.5 million dunums across all governorates.
 
Farmers face difficulties in the timing for the supply of fertilizers due to restrictive policies on imports. To alleviate this issue, the Council of Ministers has lifted the restrictions, allowing the private sector to import fertilizers.
 
The security regulations for importing fertilizers have been addressed, and we have overcome the problem of fertilizers prices affecting farmers.
 
The Ministry of Industry is making efforts to operate for the full production capacity of our factories, whether managed by the ministry or operated by private sector.
 
The Wasit Governorate plan was to cultivate up to 900,000 dunums of wheat and up to 120,000 dunums of barley, which are essential strategic crops for ensuring food security. 
 
However, we have observed a significant deficiency in the use of sprinkler irrigation systems in the governorate. Out of all the areas designated for cultivation, only 1445 dunums are currently utilizing sprinkler irrigation systems, while the majority of 6422 dunums rely on wells due to the limited availability of water. 
 
It's important to note that the sprinkler irrigation method not only addresses water scarcity, but it also improves productivity, making it the most effective method to adopt.
 
Our goal is to promote productive agriculture, which can be achieved through the use of high-productivity mechanization techniques coupled with the use of fertilizers. These efforts will result in positive economic returns for farmers.
 
As a government, it is our responsibility to provide farmers with access to sprinkler irrigation systems, and we will also offer loans to those who utilize them.
 
We are committed to supporting both the inputs and outputs of the agricultural process. While we may increase the price from 850 thousand dinars per ton to one million dinars, our target is to ensure that the farmer will benefit from this.
 
I urge all farmers not to sell their crops to intermediaries or merchants. We have allocated funds for this purpose, and the Ministry of Trade receives funding every ten days to support the Governorates.
 
? To all farmers, I assure you that following the official marketing procedures is the best way to get a fair price for your crop. Please do not sell to merchants on the pretext of delayed government payments. We understand the challenges you face and are working to address them.
 
I communicate with the Ministry of Trade on a daily basis to secure financial allocations and ensure a smooth flow of exchange. The staff works diligently, even during early morning and late evening hours, to achieve this goal.
 
The government has shown its commitment to supporting small farms by activating the lending fund initiative and providing soft loans as part of the ministerial program. The fund is led by the Minister of Agriculture and receives its allocations from the federal budget or through the recovery of amounts from agricultural initiative.
 
Our support for agricultural projects extends to all farmers, as we are committed to protecting the national product.

We recognize that not all graduates are able to secure government jobs, which is why we are dedicated to supporting full-time agricultural graduates from faculties of agriculture, veterinary schools, institutes, and preparatory schools. This support includes the allocation of land and agricultural loans.
 
We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Ministries of Agriculture and Trade, the Governor of Wasit, and the members of the Council Of Representatives. We also value the contributions of Farmers Associations, who truly represent the interests of farmers.