The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Trade and Industry has released its final data for the 2026 wheat-buying season. Silos received 387,378 tonnes and 220 kilograms from farmers, leaving 12,621 tonnes uncollected from the federal quota.
The collection process began on June 12 and ended on July 18. Baghdad had allocated a total quota of 400,000 tonnes for farmers in the Kurdistan Region.
Erbil received 120,714 tonnes from a quota of 122,680 tonnes. Duhok collected 115,103 tonnes out of 116,008 tonnes. Sulaymaniyah received 140,797 tonnes from its 150,209-tonne allocation. Halabja collected 10,759 tonnes from a quota of 11,028 tonnes.
Nawzad Sheikh Kamil, the ministry’s director general of trade, also addressed wheat from Gwer, Dibaga and Sheikhan. Silos in Nineveh had refused to accept crops from those areas. Prime Minister Masrour Barzani then ordered silos in the Kurdistan Region to receive them.
Gwer and Dibaga delivered 66,980 tonnes from a planned 70,256 tonnes. Sheikhan delivered 38,564 tonnes from a quota of 41,056 tonnes. Together, the areas supplied 105,545 tonnes, while 6,603 tonnes remained uncollected.
Officials said farmers produced unusually large quantities of wheat this year. In response, Barzani ordered additional purchases to protect farmers from financial losses.
Two senior committees selected the Khoshnaw and Qaiwan companies to buy more than 250,000 tonnes directly from farmers. The companies will pay 400,000 Iraqi dinars for each tonne.
This additional purchasing programme began on July 20 and will continue until August 20. The government says the measure will protect farmers’ rights, help them market their crops and reduce the impact of limited federal silo capacity. Officials expect the initiative to absorb much of the remaining wheat and provide farmers with a reliable market.
The ministry said the new arrangement also supports agricultural stability and encourages local farmers to continue wheat production during future seasons.
