Authorities in the Kurdistan Region have started distributing another round of payments to wheat farmers. On Wednesday, officials issued bank checks to farmers in Erbil and Duhok who delivered their wheat to government silos last year.
The new payments come more than a year after farmers handed over their harvests. The Iraqi Ministry of Trade approved an additional 41.45 billion Iraqi dinars to continue paying farmers for their crops.
Nazim Atrushi, Director of Wheat Marketing in Duhok, said the process began at the Faida Silo on Wednesday. Farmers who delivered less than 100 tons of wheat between June 18 and June 21, 2025, received bank checks. They can now take the checks to local banks and collect their money.
Officials in Erbil also started handing out checks to eligible farmers on Wednesday. They expect the payment process in Sulaymaniyah and Halabja to begin next week.
Thousands of farmers have waited more than a year for these payments. Last year’s wheat dues exceeded 301 billion Iraqi dinars across the Kurdistan Region. Authorities still owe farmers about 159.752 billion dinars.
The Iraqi government recently sent another 41.45 billion dinars to reduce the outstanding debt. Officials divided the funds among the provinces according to their financial needs.
Erbil received 13.717 billion dinars. Sulaymaniyah and Halabja received 16.858 billion dinars. Duhok received 10.875 billion dinars.
The payments will provide financial relief to many farmers. Most farmers need the money to prepare for the next planting season and cover production costs. Delayed payments have placed pressure on many agricultural families and limited their ability to invest in new crops.
Agriculture remains one of the key sectors in the Kurdistan Region’s economy. Local officials believe that paying farmers on time will strengthen wheat production and improve food security. They also said they will continue efforts to pay the remaining dues and complete the compensation process for all eligible wheat farmers.
