Iraq Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in iraq, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Select Country Guide
Agriculture
Last published date:

Overview

Iraq imports a significant amount of food for domestic consumption through the private and public sector.  The Ministry of Trade manages the country’s Public Distribution System (PDS), a ration card system, to directly supply food to middle and lower-income families.  In 2020, the PDS system reduced its rations from 12 to eight rations per year due to financial constraints and the lack of a budget; it has maintained that lower ration amount in 2021.  While Iraq has historically been a good market for poultry products, increasing tariffs since 2017 and a wholesale ban in 2020 has essentially closed that opportunity for now.

Opportunities

Wheat:

The primary importer of wheat is the Ministry of Trade, which must supplement domestic production with imported wheat to meet the needs of the PDS.  The private sector also imports flour (milled wheat), which is counted as wheat equivalent.  On average, 65 percent of wheat consumption is imported.  In 2019 (latest data available), domestic production reached 6.1 million tons.  Lower production is anticipated for the 2021 harvest, due to lack of rainfall at planting time.

Rice:  

The primary importer of rice in Iraq is the Ministry of Trade, which must supplement domestic production with imported rice to meet the needs of the PDS.  On average, 90 percent of rice is imported. During the past year, the Ministry has been purchasing lower quality rice, which has increased private sector imports from origins other than the United States.  Demand for higher quality rice is increasing and private sector imports hold potential for growth.  
 

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility