the Kurdistan Regional Government announced on Tuesday that the settlement of outstanding payments owed to wheat farmers for 2015 and 2016 has been finalized, with more than IQD 3 billion set to be distributed to eligible farmers in the coming days.
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Sarwar Kamal Hawari said the accumulated financial dues had been cleared, specifying that payments amounted to IQD 1.042 billion for 2015 and IQD 2.669 billion for 2016.
He attributed the delays to technical and administrative issues that affected the payment procedures at the time, noting that coordination between trade departments in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok and the Federal Ministry of Trade had enabled the funds to be recovered and transferred into the ministry's bank account.
Hawari called on farmers entitled to the payments to visit grain silos in the coming days to collect their dues. He emphasized that all revenues allocated to the Kurdistan Region from wheat production, estimated at around IQD 776 billion, had been recovered while safeguarding farmers' financial rights.
Addressing market conditions, Hawari said tensions in the Middle East and regional and international conflicts had influenced commodity prices and the US dollar exchange rate. He added that inspection teams would continue monitoring markets across the region to combat monopolies and unjustified price hikes.
He also disclosed that approximately 4.8 million electronic food ration cards had been issued, explaining that the digital system would strengthen food quality monitoring and help prevent smuggling.
