Minister of Agriculture Engineer Mohammed al-Khafaji announced the official launch of strategies for the poultry and tomato sectors for sustainable development in Iraq, funded by the European Union.

Al-Khafaji reviewed the status of the agricultural sector in Iraq, emphasizing its great importance as a vital sector contributing to the national income.

The minister explained in his speech during the announcement of the launch of these strategies that the ministry is adopting a partnership strategy to launch a project to enhance agricultural and food value chains to improve the work and production environment, thereby enhancing the nutritional value of the crop and agricultural product, as well as increasing its economic value by enhancing value-added chains and benefiting from secondary products in the manufacturing stages.

He pointed out the specificity of the poultry sector as one of the most widespread and important sectors for providing food security for citizens, which creates significant employment opportunities, in addition to the diverse uses of tomatoes in processing industries. Therefore, these two activities were chosen as a first stage.

Al-Khafaji clarified the launch of the electronic card project for farmers, which provides accurate statistics representing the ownership of farms for poultry and horticulture projects, which in turn work to advance the agricultural sector in both its plant and animal aspects.

The minister expressed his gratitude to all efforts that contributed to this activity, given its important role in advancing the agricultural sector in both its plant and animal aspects, confirming the ministry’s continued coordination with the private sector and cooperation with international partners, including the European Union and the World Trade Organization.