Baghdad – INA – Falih Al-Obaidi
Today, Tuesday, the Ministry of Commerce announced the intention to build 4 silos and 17 banks in 6 governorates, while indicating the availability of storage capacity to receive quantities of wheat during the current season.
The Director General of the General Company for Grain Trade, Haider Nouri Al-Karaawi, told the (INA): “The Ministry began the warehouses and silos project since last year,” indicating that “building a silo requires a long period extending from one to two years.”
He explained, “During the last period, Cabinet approval was obtained for two silos in Kirkuk and Wasit, in addition to two silos on the Saudi loan, one in Diwaniyah Governorate and the other in Maysan,” indicating “the company’s plan to add two other silos, whose locations will be determined during the coming period.”
He continued, “The movement is underway to build several bunkers, with each bunker having a capacity of about 6,000 tons, with 14 bunkers in Kirkuk Governorate, in addition to 3 bunkers in the Shatra, Al-Rifai, and Nasiriyah sites, in addition to two bunkers in Diyala Governorate,” pointing out that “these sites will increase Storage energy, given that the current season the company will receive large quantities due to rainfall on the one hand and the farmer’s adoption of modern irrigation techniques on the other hand.”
He noted that “the company received 830 tons from Salah al-Din Governorate last year, while in the current season it is possible to receive more than one million tons,” indicating that “the grain was transported from Salah al-Din Governorate to Baghdad and the central and southern governorates via train, which is what This did not happen before, as the transportation was from Silo Umm Qasr towards the southern and central governorates, all the way to Al-Sharqat and Mosul.”
He pointed out “the great cooperation between the Ministries of Commerce and Transport and the Prime Minister’s directive to use the capabilities of the government,” noting that “the engineers were able to operate the train and install a scale in coordination with the private sector to transport wheat quantities from Shirqat to Silo Taji, and in 4 trains, 3 trains are loaded to Taji and a train.” To Khan Dhari.
He continued, “The treasury capacity is available and ready to receive all quantities received from farmers during the current season.”