The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has announced a nationwide ban on the import of tomatoes across Iraq, according to Begard Talabani, the Kurdistan Region’s Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources.

Minister Talabani stated on Monday that the Iraqi Economic Council, in coordination with the KRG, has decided to prohibit tomato imports to support local farmers in the Kurdistan Region. This decision is aimed at providing an opportunity for locally grown tomatoes to be marketed more effectively.

The move follows a similar temporary ban imposed in May 2021, intended to boost local agricultural production. In recent years, tomatoes from Turkey and Iran have dominated the market in the Kurdistan Region.

The KRG has also outlined plans to promote self-sustainability in agriculture by developing greenhouses, enhancing farming infrastructure, and raising tariffs on imported agricultural goods.

According to the Director General of Agriculture in Erbil, aside from tomatoes, the region now relies predominantly on domestic production, with a 40% increase in local agricultural output compared to last year. The ban is expected to further encourage the growth of local farming initiatives.