Kurdistan Region Trade: The “ASYCUDA” system has negatively impacted trade activity.
Kurdistan Region Trade: The “ASYCUDA” system has negatively impacted trade activity.
2026-07-02
Shafaq News – Erbil
The Director General of Trade in the Kurdistan Region, Nawzad Sheikh Kamil, revealed on Thursday that trade activity in the region has declined this year, attributing this to a number of reasons, most notably the implementation of the ASYCUDA customs system, in addition to regional crises and conflicts.
Import licenses decline
Sheikh Kamel explained in a press conference attended by a correspondent from Shafaq News Agency that the implementation of the ASYCUDA system (automated customs data system) has directly affected the flow of goods, leading to a decrease in the granting of import licenses compared to previous years.
Regarding the movement of licenses granted during the first six months of 2026, it was revealed that 155 commercial export licenses were registered, and 333 special import licenses were granted, which included 352,000 cars and 62 classic cars, in addition to granting 1,038 general commercial import licenses, which recorded a significant decline due to the challenges of the new customs system.
Marketing and supplying wheat crops
Regarding the marketing of the wheat crop for the current season, the Director General indicated that the process of receiving the crop, which began last May, has so far seen the receipt of 277,000 tons out of the 400,000 tons allocated to the region, distributed as follows: 96,000 tons in Duhok, 94,000 tons in Erbil and Gwer district, and 86,000 tons in Sulaymaniyah.
He added that work is underway to distribute the fourth ration of flour, with the distribution of the fifth ration of flour and the fourth ration of food items beginning next week, stressing the continuation of the process of updating the ration card to add newborns and new detached individuals.
Commercial control and the context of automation
In the context of the monitoring efforts, the Director General of Trade confirmed that the field teams carried out 24,746 inspection tours during the past six months, which resulted in the seizure and confiscation of 111 tons of expired food products.
It is worth noting that the Director of the Federal Customs Authority, Thamer Qasim Dawood, had announced at the beginning of last April that the Kurdistan Region team had joined the national team for the project to implement the Customs Automation System (ASYCUDA), in a step aimed at building a unified customs administration at the national level.
shafaq.com
