200 kilograms of spoiled apricots seized and destroyed in Halabja on Wednesday. (Photo: Halabja District Administration)
Intended for sale
Halabja authorities seize 200 kg of spoiled apricots, destroy shipment
HALABJA — Authorities in Halabja seized 200 kilograms of spoiled apricots intended for sale in the local market, an official said Wednesday.
Falah Namik, head of the joint committees of the Halabja district administration, told 964media, “Our committee was informed by a checkpoint about a large quantity of food stored in a truck. Upon arrival and inspection, we found that 10 containers of apricots were moldy and infested with insects.”
Namik said the entire 200-kilogram batch was destroyed. He explained that the shipment’s owner is a resident of Said Sadiq who had purchased the apricots in Sulaymaniyah with the intention of reselling them in Halabja and was reportedly unaware that the goods were spoiled.
In late January, health inspectors in Halabja conducted market sweeps, seizing expired food products and fining four businesses. Alongside these market inspections, authorities maintained oversight of border crossings. Nearly two weeks ago, approximately 24 tons of spoiled goods were seized and returned to Iran through the Shushme border crossing, which connects Halabja Governorate with Iran’s Kermanshah Province.
In 2024, a total of 89,192 tons of agricultural and commercial goods entered the Kurdistan Region through Shushme. Of these, about 196,630 kilograms were deemed unfit for use and were confiscated before being sent back to Iran.
