For the second consecutive year, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is set to export approximately 5,000 tons of locally grown potatoes to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This effort is part of an agreement between the KRG and a UAE-based company.

On Monday, 100 tons of potatoes will be shipped to the UAE. Haji Sabir Khoshnaw, owner of Aura Company, informed Kurdistan 24 that four containers of potatoes will be dispatched on that day, with the entire export process expected to span 15 to 20 days until all 5,000 tons are delivered.

Last year marked the initial export of over 13,000 tons of potatoes to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Khoshnaw expressed plans to increase this year's export to over 25,000 tons to Gulf countries.

The Kurdistan Region produces approximately 30 potato varieties, known for their superior quality in the Middle East, which drives high demand in Gulf markets. Khoshnaw expressed gratitude to Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the Erbil General Directorate of Agriculture, and other relevant entities for their continuous support in promoting farmers' products and advancing the agricultural sector.

Hemn Sayed Murad, Director General of Agriculture in Erbil, highlighted the Region's ongoing efforts to expand opportunities for marketing farmers' products under the ninth cabinet's focus on agricultural development.

Earlier this month, in a special ceremony, approximately 10,000 cartons of potato chips from a factory in the Qushtapa district of the Kurdistan Region were exported to Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

The Kurdistan Region annually produces over 800,000 tons of potatoes across 86,453 dunams, showing a nine-fold increase over the past five years, with a major production hub in the Nawkuri plain of Bardarash district, Duhok province.

The ninth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government has prioritized agricultural sector development, implementing various measures and significantly increasing investment in strategic agricultural projects, supervised by multiple ministries including Commerce, Agriculture, and the Investment Board. Under PM Barzani's leadership, the volume of investment in the agricultural sector has risen from 1.8% to over 9% of total investment in the Kurdistan Region, resulting in the implementation of more than 2,175 agricultural projects and the construction of essential infrastructure like wheat silos and storage facilities.