Iraq adopts multi-level import controls to boost food security

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's Agriculture Ministry is enforcing a multi-level import policy linked to domestic supply levels under the agricultural calendar system to protect local producers and enhance food security, ministry adviser Mahdi Dhamad Al-Qaisi told Shafaq News on Wednesday.

The policy includes seasonal bans on selected crops and livestock products, including watermelon, cucumbers, eggplants, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, wheat, dates, and live poultry. Iraq has achieved self-sufficiency in seven key crops and increased agricultural exports to around two million tons last year.

Al-Qaisi noted that Iraq's import policy is based on three mechanisms: seasonal restrictions linked to local supply, regulations governing the registration and import of seeds and crop varieties, and agricultural and veterinary quarantine measures to prevent the spread of diseases.

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