ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw announced on Saturday that the first phase of the city’s ambitious Green Belt project - a landmark circular plantation initiative surrounding Erbil - has been completed with the planting of 500,000 olive trees.
Khoshnaw added that pistachio trees will be introduced in the project’s second phase.
“In the first phase of the Green Belt project, 500,000 olive trees have been planted behind the 150-meter road in the area between Pirmam [north of Erbil] and Bahirka [northeast],” Khoshnaw told Rudaw, noting that the plantations are expected to support both local consumption and olive oil production.
He added that pistachio saplings will be planted in the next stage of the multi-phase project.
“Erbil will be placed on the map as one of the region’s main pistachio producers,” he said.
Echoing the governor’s remarks, Dilshad Hirani, head of Erbil’s Environment Department, told Rudaw that the Green Belt project would “significantly improve the city’s environment” while also creating economic opportunities for residents.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani inaugurated the project in October 2025 by planting its first tree. At the time, he described the initiative as a comprehensive response to climate change aimed at reducing dust storms and expanding urban green spaces.
Erbil faces some of Iraq’s highest levels of air pollution, driven largely by emissions from private electricity generators, heavy traffic, and the widespread use of low-quality fuel. The city is also frequently affected by dust storms.
Once completed, the Green Belt is expected to include around seven million olive and pistachio trees, covering roughly 25 percent of Erbil’s total area.
In addition to its environmental benefits and role in reducing pollution, the project is expected to create jobs and generate economic opportunities through private-sector investment in the plantations.
