Processing, distribution

Duhok to launch new agricultural facility aiming to centralize local product marketing

DUHOK — A new facility to be established in Duhok, Kurdistan Region, to collect and market local agricultural products. The facility will cover an area of 5,000 square meters and will include a factory building, a parking area, several small streets, and gardens.

Muslih Hassan, the deputy director of agriculture in Duhok, told 964media that this facility will improve the way farmers in the governorate sell their products. Previously, each farmer sold their products individually, but with the establishment of this facility, they will now be able to bring their products to a central location for processing and distribution.

The facility is located in the Faidiye area within the Semel district. Hassan stated that “It is expected to be operational within less than a year. The collected agricultural products will be distributed to various markets, shops, and other vendors, benefiting the farmers of Duhok” by providing a more organized and efficient means of selling their goods.

Duhok is renowned for its  diverse agriculture sector, with farmers producing a variety of local products. The governorate produces a variety of crops and supports several agricultural projects aimed at boosting local production and reducing dependence on imports.

The region is known for its production of fruits such as grapes, apples, pomegranates, and figs. There are 250,000 fig trees in the Duhok’s Akre district alone, spread over an area of 3,706 acres. Additionally, a variety of vegetables including tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers are cultivated.

Sesame is another notable agricultural product in Duhok. In total, the governorate cultivates approximately 824 acres of sesame annually. Last year, the Amedi district alone produced over 120 tons of sesame. Moreover, Duhok saw extensive rice cultivation annually, the governorate has planted more than 4,942 acres of land with rice this year, according to Ahmad Jameel, head of Duhok’s agriculture department. Jameel projects a yield of over 20,000 tons of rice from this cultivation.

The Duhok’s Directorate of Agriculture previously reported that 450,000 tons of potatoes are produced annually in the province’s Nawkur Plain, accounting for 70 percent of the total potato production in the Kurdistan Region.

However, various agricultural areas in Duhok, an important agricultural center in the region, faced significant losses due to conflict. Turkish bombardment has ignited massive fires, burning approximately 125 acres of farmland and orchards in Sargale, Duhok, on July 4. Turkey is conducting a large-scale military operation in the Duhok governorate against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known by its Kurdish initialism PKK, leading to the evacuation of several villages. The PKK, an armed Kurdish organization, has been in conflict with the Turkish state since the early 1980s.