A corruption scandal: 1000 tons of DAP fertilizer are carcinogenic
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture disclosed that the DAP fertilizer packs delivered from the Ministry of Industry and Minerals are carcinogenic.
The Ministry's spokesperson, Hamid Al-Nayef, told Shafaq News Agency, "we received 30 thousand tons, out of 50 thousand tons of DAP fertilizer from the Ministry of Industry, and we refused to take the rest until the government investigation completes."
"The laboratory tests conducted by the Ministry of Environment resulted that 1,000 tons of DAP contained high radiation levels and were not suitable for use."
Today, the Minister of Industry and Minerals Khaled Battal Al-Najm confirmed that he "personally" followed up on the ongoing investigations on the corruption in the DAP fertilizer file, revealed earlier exclusively by Shafak News Agency.
"Prime Minister Muhammad Shia'a al-Sudani directed to form committees to investigate the production of this fertilizer and to follow up on the results of the tests to find out its safety and being free of radioactive substances including carcinogens," Al-Najm said.
In August 2022, British company AAA Holding began fertilizer production in Basra with Iraq's Southern Fertilizer Public Company. The joint venture announced a new DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) fertilizer project had come online in Basra with an annual capacity of 500,000 tonnes.
Fertilizer prices have soared to new highs due to Russia's war in Ukraine. As a result, on average, the "big three" — phosphates, nitrates, and potassium fertilizers — doubled since last year, reaching levels not seen since the 2008 commodity boom.
The latest increase, caused partly by a disruption of supplies from Russia and surging input costs, was an opportunity Iraq could capitalize on.
However, Iraq is again missing the opportunity for endemic corruption infesting the country in another controversial scandal.
"These fertilizers arrive in packages in Iraq from Morocco or Turkey," a source told Shafaq News Agency, "the plant inaugurated by the ministry, in cooperation with a foreign investor, does not produce the DAP fertilizer."
"Instead, the imported material is poorly packed on an abysmal Chinese production line installed in the plant," the source added, "the plant is a huge scam. There is no actual production line. It is a huge theft covered by the government and approved by the ministries of industry and agriculture."
"The recently imported DAP batch amounts to nearly 50,000 tonnes. Each yields 200$; the government's share is only 5%. The investor reaps the remaining 95%. The net profit from this deal is nearly 10 million dollars," the source concluded.
With all the health and environmental red flags raised recently, Shafaq News Agency knew that the relevant government bodies had withdrawn the product from the market pending an investigation into its safety.
"The DAP fertilizer samples have been tested, and the results were submitted to the environment's minister for ratification," a source said, "the results will be made public in a press conference soon. After that, the issue will be raised in the cabinet meeting, and a copy of the investigation will be sent to the legislative body."
