The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has received 68,000 tons of wheat from local farmers this season. The Ministry of Trade and Industry said this amount represents 18% of the wheat that Iraq plans to purchase from the Kurdistan Region.
Authorities started collecting wheat on June 12 at silos in Erbil and Duhok. One day later, the process began in Sulaymaniyah and Halabja.
Sarwar Kamal Hawari, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, said silos across the Kurdistan Region have so far received 68,000 tons of wheat. The deliveries include wheat produced inside and outside the government’s agricultural plan.
This year, the Iraqi government decided to buy 400,000 tons of wheat from the Kurdistan Region. Of this amount, 292,000 tons fall within the official cultivation plan. Farmers receive 700,000 Iraqi dinars for each ton under this category.
The remaining 108,000 tons come from outside the agricultural plan. The government will purchase this wheat at 500,000 dinars per ton.
Hawari said the wheat collected so far equals 18% of the total quantity approved for purchase this season.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources expects wheat production in the Kurdistan Region to exceed two million tons this year. Since Baghdad plans to buy only 400,000 tons, most of the harvest will go to commercial markets.
The government’s wheat policy has changed significantly in recent years. In 2024, Iraq purchased 700,000 tons of wheat from Kurdistan’s farmers. In 2025, Baghdad reduced the quota to 400,000 tons and paid 800,000 dinars for each ton.
This year, Iraq kept the same 400,000-ton quota but introduced a two-tier pricing system. The government lowered the price to 700,000 dinars per ton for wheat produced within the plan. It also set the price at 500,000 dinars for wheat produced outside the plan.
Farmers and agricultural officials have expressed concerns about the lower prices and limited purchase quota. They fear the new policy could reduce profits and create challenges for the agricultural sector in the Kurdistan Region.

