Iraq signs deal with US, Japanese firms to build fertilizer plant

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture said Tuesday it signed a contract with two international companies, one American and one Japanese, to build an advanced fertilizer factory with an annual capacity of 1.15 million tons of ammonia and urea.

Mahdi Suher al-Jubouri, the ministry’s administrative undersecretary, told the state newspaper Al-Sabah that “the project represents a strategic transformation in the agricultural sector, as it will provide fertilizers locally at lower prices compared to imported ones, which reduces the financial burdens on farmers and cuts the loss of hard currency allocated for imports.”

He said the ministry’s General Company for Agricultural Supplies has completed initial administrative approvals for establishing the plant, with implementation set to begin soon in coordination with the two firms. He added that “using environmentally friendly technologies in production will ensure a balance between meeting the needs of the agricultural sector and maintaining environmental standards.”

Al-Jubouri also pointed to the Ministry of Industry and Minerals’ fertilizer projects announced in February, including a one-million-ton plant for DAP fertilizer and another for triple superphosphate with a 500,000-ton capacity. He said “Iraq possesses one of the largest phosphate reserves in the world after Morocco, estimated at more than 10 billion tons, which qualifies it to be an important producer and exporter of fertilizers in the region in the future.”