The poultry sector in the Kurdistan region of Iraq is suffering from a repeated crisis, which is to ban the export of its products to other governorates in the country, despite the high quality of Kurdish products and the increasing demand for them.
According to the region’s officials, these repeated decisions caused heavy losses to farmers, which negatively affected the local economy.
According to the statistics of the Livestock Directorate at the Ministry of Agriculture in the region, there are about 2000 poultry farms in Iraqi Kurdistan, including 850 farms in Sulaymaniyah.
The region produces 250 thousand tons of poultry annually, and it consumes 147 thousand tons, while the rest, which is 103 thousand tons, is prepared for export.
Protection of the local product
The Prime Minister for Governorate Affairs, Muhammad Al -Masoudi, confirms that the ban on the supply of live poultry from the Kurdistan region to the rest of the provinces dates back to 4 years ago, due to the spread of the bird virus, indicating that this ban is still valid until now, despite its temporary lifting it Times.
Al -Masoudi says, in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net, that there are other reasons to prevent live poultry from entering the governorates of Baghdad, the center, south and the western regions, the most prominent of which is the large number of smuggling operations from neighboring countries, which leads to low prices and damage to the local product, adding that the government seeks to protect the local product from During these procedures.
And he stresses that poultry prices will not rise, due to the availability of large quantities of local production, especially from the Sahara Company and other local breeders, indicating that these quantities are sufficient to cover the needs of all the local market, including the governorates of Baghdad, the center, south and the western regions.
Al -Masoudi notes that the poultry breeders in the Kurdistan region of Iraq filed a lawsuit before the Federal Court several months ago, considering that this embargo is contrary to the constitution and the law, stressing that the Federal Court will consider this lawsuit.
On August 30, the Union of Poultry Breeders in the Kurdistan region of Iraq decided to file a complaint to the Federal Court in Baghdad, demanding that the ban on marketing their products in the center and south governorates, explaining the reasons that the relevant authorities have failed to resolve the crisis that caused great losses to this. The vital sector.
Temporary solutions
For his part, the Director General of Erbil Agriculture, Hamim, Sayed Murad, stressed that all the reasons announced by the federal government to ban the export of poultry products from the Kurdistan region are unfounded, indicating that the products are subject to strict supervision and follow -up to ensure their conformity with international specifications, and that they do not suffer from any problems .
Speaking to Al -Jazeera Net, Murad added that there is no logical justification for the decision of the Baghdad government to prevent the export of poultry and eggs to the governorates of central and southern Iraq, explaining that the province’s products are very popular because of their high quality, and therefore this ban is an arbitrary decision that is continuously repeated, according to his description .
Murad pointed out that the delegations of agriculture from the region go to Baghdad periodically to discuss this file and search for radical solutions, but the solutions that are reached are often temporary, pointing out that the representatives of the region in the Federal Parliament are also making great efforts to open this file.
Murad stressed that the two agriculture and livestock departments in Erbil are constantly monitoring all poultry farms, and this surveillance includes feed, nutrition, treatment and hygiene, in order to ensure the highest quality standards.
He added that the production of the region from poultry and eggs exceeds the local need, as there are 570 poultry fields, in addition to 17 projects to produce eggs in Erbil Governorate only, which requires exporting the surplus to other governorates.
Murad called on the federal government to lift the embargo and facilitate the export process, noting that this step will support the region’s economy, and will be a positive message.
He expressed his surprise that the federal government continued to use laws in an incorrect way to question the quality of the region’s products, despite providing all guarantees regarding their quality.
Heavy losses
The head of the Association of Poultry Breeders in the region, Nazim Abdullah, revealed that farmers in Kurdistan suffered heavy losses due to the ban on exporting chickens to the Iraqi provinces 8 months ago.
Abdullah pointed out that the Kurdistan region currently includes about 50 million white chickens, and that many merchants invested in this vital sector, but the sudden ban has eliminated their hopes and caused them significant losses due to the sale of the product at a price lower cost.
Abdullah added that the association is working hard to find solutions to this crisis, warning of the loss of 500,000 jobs in the event of a continued ban.
He stressed that the continuation of the ban and other challenges, such as the spread of diseases, led to a significant increase in production costs and a decrease in prices, forcing farmers to sell their products at a loss.
