The Iraqi Ministry of Trade asserted on Thursday that the strategic reserves of the country’s wheat will cover its needs until July 2024.
“The country’s actual need for wheat during this year is 4.60 million tons,” Khaled al-Nidawi, director general of grain processing in the ministry, told the Iraqi News Agency.
He added that “the production of the current season of wheat amounted to 5.20 million tons.”
Earlier this week, Iraqi Minister of Trade, Atheer Al-Ghurairy, confirmed that his country had achieved self-sufficiency in the wheat crop, at a rate of receipt that is the highest in the history of Iraq.
Iraq unveiled this year plans to boost its wheat output by nearly 60%, even as it continues to rely on imports to satisfy domestic demand.
The country aimed to produce 3.5 million tons of wheat in 2023, up from about 2.2 million tons last year.