Baghdad – WAA – Hendren Makki
The Ministry of Commerce announced today, Thursday, the marketing of more than 6 million tons of wheat so far during the current season.
The ministry’s spokesman, Mohammed Hanoun, told the (INA): “The marketing campaign continues in the governorates of the Kurdistan Region for the wheat crop during the current year, after the success achieved in the central and southern governorates, where the quantities marketed by farmers and cultivators reached the threshold of six million tons.”
Hanoun added, “This year’s marketing season also witnessed the payment of farmers’ dues, in receiving all marketed quantities, according to the plan announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, through coordination between the Ministry and local governments and provincial councils, in addition to coordination between the Ministry and the Ministry of Economy in the region.”
Hanoun stressed that “this year was distinguished by many advantages, most notably the controls adopted by the Grain Company, by receiving all marketed quantities, and not allowing the entry of wheat quantities located in stores other than trade, which date back to previous years, in addition to the mechanism by which the wheat crop is tested in the laboratory, which put an end to all previous violations, in addition to the extensive government follow-up and the Prime Minister’s directive to follow up daily on the marketing season and address all the problems that farmers and peasants are exposed to during the current year.”
Hanoun said, “This year is the year of achieving self-sufficiency in wheat, after we reached 6 million tons so far, and we may exceed this number with larger quantities in the coming few days, with the continuation of the marketing season in the provinces of the Kurdistan Region, and also on the other hand there will be a strategic stock that has been achieved.”
He pointed out that “the General Company for Grain Trade was able to provide stock from warehouses, bunkers and silos, and it has succeeded – to a large extent – in containing all the marketed quantities,” stressing that “the government is proceeding with reforms in the agricultural sector, and is also proceeding towards supporting farmers and increasing the quantities of water to the governorates, and what farmers need in terms of modern technical means, and this gives the next agricultural season greater importance through extensive preparations, which also achieves self-sufficiency in this strategic material.”