PM advisor urges public-private partnership to boost Iraq’s agriculture sector

BAGHDAD — Iraq should pursue a strategic public-private partnership to strengthen its agriculture and livestock sectors as part of a broader effort to diversify the economy, said Mazhar Salih, economic advisor to the prime minister.

“The time has come to launch the strategic partnership program… through the adoption of the Strong Agricultural Push Program for Agricultural and Livestock Production,” Salih told the Iraqi News Agency.

He said the initiative should include sovereign guarantees to encourage the development of large-scale agricultural infrastructure using advanced technology. The effort, he added, should connect directly with both domestic and international agricultural markets.

Salih also urged coordination with European and regional partners to implement strategic livestock projects that would support Iraq’s drive toward self-sufficiency.

Mazhar Salih’s statement to Iraqi News Agency:

The time has come to launch the strategic partnership program between the government and the private sector, through the adoption of the (Strong Agricultural Push Program for Agricultural and Livestock Production), as a starting point towards comprehensive economic diversification in Iraq.

The program should be based on the inclusion of sovereign guarantees as a means to encourage the construction of large agricultural facilities that rely on advanced technology and provide direct interaction with both the local and international agricultural communities, within a shared national vision.

Iraq has the opportunity to benefit from the experiences of agriculturally advanced countries by implementing leading strategic projects in livestock production, in cooperation with companies from European Union countries or neighboring states, to contribute to achieving sustainable development and meeting food self-sufficiency standards, especially in the field of livestock production.

This approach aligns with the recent successes achieved by Iraq in supporting grain production, through allocating resources from the general budget for grain security, which encouraged the expansion of the national food security base and bridging the gap in the growing demand for basic food products.

There is a real opportunity to replace imported food and animal products with local alternatives in the long term, through a balanced partnership between the state and the market, within sustainable economic development programs, with agriculture as their central focus.

The results of the scientific assessment prepared by researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and Edinburgh, which included an analysis of food production data in 186 countries covering sectors such as meat, dairy, starches, fish, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits, showed that Iraq is among six countries that have not achieved self-sufficiency in these crops.

Achieving self-sufficiency is not impossible, but feasible through the adoption of a national food security strategy for the period from 2025 to 2035.

This strategy should be built on a scientific assessment of the population’s needs over the next decade, in light of climate challenges, water resources, technological agricultural capacities, with a clear distribution of roles between the government and the private sector, and with courageous decisions at both the economic and technical levels.