Iraq’s wheat reserves surpass 5.5 million tons

Iraq is experiencing a self-sufficient period in wheat, with strategic reserves exceeding 5.5 million tons, enough to satisfy local demand for a year, according to the Director of the General Company for Grain Trade, Haider Nouri. This situation is achieved through a significant increase in locally produced wheat, influenced by the use of groundwater in desert areas for cultivation, a response to the ongoing drought. Since 2019, Iraq has seen fluctuations in wheat production, with importation necessary to make up for losses due to water scarcity and desertification, but has now reached a point of self-sufficiency. This development is anticipated to stabilize flour prices, even in the face of global crises.

The Director of the General Company for Grain Trade, Haider Nouri, revealed on Monday that Iraq’s strategic reserves of wheat are currently over 5.5 million tons. In a statement to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Nouri explained that this large stock of wheat is sufficient for one year to meet local demand, underscoring that flour prices will not rise with any global crisis. In July, the state company responsible for purchasing grain in Iraq announced that it bought 6.3 million tons, the most locally produced wheat ever recorded in its history. The Iraqi Minister of Trade, Atheer Al-Ghurairy, said in March that Iraq has become self-sufficient and does not require the import of wheat in order to maintain its strategic stocks. Al-Ghurairy stated in January that Iraq does not plan to import wheat this year because the country has large stocks sufficient for seven months with expectations of a bumper crop. The Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture mentioned earlier that Iraq, where the ...