Farmers in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region sold over 1.3 million tons of locally grown fruits and vegetables to central and southern Iraq in 2024, according to official reports.
“In 2024, we issued approximately 41,000 support letters for trucks, enabling the transport of around 750,000 tons of local produce to central and southern Iraq,” said Hoshyar Jalil, an official from Erbil’s agricultural directorate, in a statement to Rudaw. He noted that these shipments occurred after meeting local demand.
Key exports included watermelons, melons, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, eggplants, and peppers. Sulaimani province alone exported approximately 375,000 tons in the first ten months of the year, as reported by its Agricultural Directorate. Duhok province contributed an additional 253,905 tons to the total, according to its agriculture spokesperson, Jihan Rasoul.
In total, the Kurdistan Region exported nearly 1.4 million tons of fruits and vegetables in 2024. The summer season, known for peak agricultural production, saw the highest levels of exports.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has prioritized diversifying the Region’s economy by leveraging its agricultural potential to reduce reliance on imports from neighboring Iran and Turkey. In December 2022, the Region made its first-ever export of pomegranates to Gulf countries, marking a significant milestone as its first major non-oil export and a step toward economic diversification.
