Demand for Kurdistan potatoes grows in Gulf countries
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Following a satisfactory experience with exporting potatoes to the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks, several other Gulf states are now lining up to buy the starchy vegetable produced from the farms of the Kurdistan Region, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Luqman Hajji, head of sales at the Kurdistan-Holland company for agricultural investments, told Rudaw on Wednesday that they had recently exported 300 tons of potatoes produced by Kurdish farmers to the UAE following a visit from the Emirati consul to the company’s storages.
“They [UAE] have now requested an additional 3,000 tons, which we have prepared and, God willing, will export to them soon,” Hajji said, noting that several other countries such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Greece are also in talks to buy the product.
According to Hajji, a portion of the demands comes from McDonald's restaurants in the Gulf states.
The Kurdistan Region is projected to produce 750,000 tons of potatoes in 2023, according to a statement from the KRG which added that the government is now taking measures to curb the import of potatoes from other countries.
A main objective of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s cabinet has been to diversify the Region’s economy and take advantage of its fruitful agricultural capabilities to export goods abroad, despite the majority of its agricultural products being imported from neighboring Iran and Turkey.
The Kurdistan Region in December made the first-ever export of its renowned pomegranates to Gulf countries, marking the Region's first non-oil export and a landmark step in efforts to broaden the economy.
Luqman Hajji, head of sales at the Kurdistan-Holland company for agricultural investments, told Rudaw on Wednesday that they had recently exported 300 tons of potatoes produced by Kurdish farmers to the UAE following a visit from the Emirati consul to the company’s storages.
“They [UAE] have now requested an additional 3,000 tons, which we have prepared and, God willing, will export to them soon,” Hajji said, noting that several other countries such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Greece are also in talks to buy the product.
According to Hajji, a portion of the demands comes from McDonald's restaurants in the Gulf states.
The Kurdistan Region is projected to produce 750,000 tons of potatoes in 2023, according to a statement from the KRG which added that the government is now taking measures to curb the import of potatoes from other countries.
A main objective of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s cabinet has been to diversify the Region’s economy and take advantage of its fruitful agricultural capabilities to export goods abroad, despite the majority of its agricultural products being imported from neighboring Iran and Turkey.
The Kurdistan Region in December made the first-ever export of its renowned pomegranates to Gulf countries, marking the Region's first non-oil export and a landmark step in efforts to broaden the economy.