The Ninth Cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) continues to support the industrial and agricultural sectors in the Kurdistan Region, ensuring food security as well as finding and creating markets for farmers.

Olive oil production in the Kurdistan Region has entered a new stage with the support of the KRG. Currently, about 110 tons of olive oil are produced daily in the Kurdistan Region at seven factories.

“I am from Qasrok in Khurtudakan village in Sheikhan district of Atrush. We have a lot of olives in our village. We harvest our own olives and bring them to this factory to turn them into olive oil. This factory is very good, the products of this factory are very good and it has a good owner who is keeping an eye on the farmers,” a farmer who owns an olive field said.

The olive factories in the Kurdistan Region produce high quality oil and receive about 800 tons of olives daily from local farmers in the Kurdistan Region.

Ni’mat Mawlood, Head of the Olive Oil Producers Association, told the KRG’s official website that the amount of olive received varies depending on the day. “Some days we receive one ton of olive, some days it 30 ton and other days it 10 tons but we always turn 20 tons to olive oil.”

Mawlood described the government’s step of opening the factory as being efficient given that farmers would previously give their olives to private factories, while now they go to the new factory.

Mawlood also highlighted the demand for oil olive in Kurdistan Region, which has increased drastically compared to the previous years.

Apart from the snowy and cold areas, the entire territory of the Kurdistan Region is suitable for growing olives, and about 1,350 farmers work in this field. The KRG continues to support farmers and the increase of domestic production to ensure food security.