With a surplus of 300,000 tons annually, poultry farmers in Kurdistan are demanding that al-Zaidi lift restrictions on their products.
With a surplus of 300,000 tons annually, poultry farmers in Kurdistan are demanding that al-Zaidi lift restrictions on their products.
2026-10-14
Shafaq News – Sulaymaniyah
On Wednesday, Nazim Abdullah, head of the Poultry Farm Breeders Association in Sulaymaniyah, Garmian and Halabja, called on Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to intervene to do justice to poultry farmers in the Kurdistan Region and lift the restrictions and fees imposed on transporting their products to the central and southern governorates of Iraq, stressing that the continuation of these measures threatens an important production sector that already suffers from high breeding and marketing costs.
Abdullah told Shafaq News Agency in a special statement that “poultry farmers in the region had hoped that the Iraqi government would translate its pledges to support the agricultural and livestock sectors into practical measures that would contribute to protecting local products, but they were surprised by decisions and restrictions that hinder the arrival of their products to Iraqi markets.”
He explained that “the Kurdistan Region produces about 450,000 tons of poultry meat annually, compared to a local need that does not exceed 150,000 tons, leaving a surplus of up to 300,000 tons annually,” noting that “this surplus is capable of meeting an important part of the needs of the central and southern governorates, instead of relying on imported chicken, which is more expensive and of lower quality compared to the local product.”
Abdullah added that “the rise in the dollar exchange rate has led to an increase in feed prices by about 200,000 dinars per ton, coinciding with the rise in fuel costs, veterinary medicines and breeding supplies, as well as the lack of oversight of the feed trade, which has doubled the financial burdens on poultry farm owners and affected their ability to continue production.”
The head of the association criticized what he described as “the duplicity of government procedures,” explaining that “goods imported from outside Iraq enjoy facilities in entering the markets, while products from the Kurdistan Region, which is part of Iraq, face restrictions and exorbitant fees when transported to other governorates.”
He added that “poultry farmers in the region are not asking for exceptional privileges, but rather for their right to market their surplus production within their country without obstacles,” stressing that “Iraq has one food basket and shared food security that extends from Zakho to Basra, and administrative and financial procedures should not become an obstacle to the movement of national products.”
In this context, the head of the association expressed his dissatisfaction with what he described as “discrimination in dealing with producers from the Kurdistan Region,” saying: “We are Iraqis and partners in this country, and we should not have to pay the price for our Kurdish national affiliation when transporting our products to the rest of the governorates. It is our right for the goods of Kurdistan to reach the central and southern regions, just as we want the goods of those governorates to reach the region.”
Abdullah called on the Prime Minister to “listen to the demands of poultry farmers in the Kurdistan Region and intervene to lift the restrictions and financial fees that hinder the marketing of their products,” stressing that “supporting national production and facilitating the movement of goods between governorates represent a fundamental step to enhance food security, protect local products, and consolidate economic partnership between all regions of Iraq.”
shafaq.com
