Iraq’s Agriculture Ministry Retracts Statement on Suspending Imports of 11 Agricultural Products

Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture on Monday backtracked on an earlier statement published on its official page concerning the suspension of imports of 11 agricultural products, denying that it had issued any official request or directive to that effect.

In a subsequent statement, the ministry rejected reports circulating on social media claiming that the entry of several agricultural products had been prohibited, stressing that it had neither requested nor issued an official document calling for the suspension of their imports.

The ministry clarified that the products mentioned in the reports — apples, bananas, kiwifruit, pomegranates, cowpeas, green peppers, garlic, cucumbers, watermelons, grapes and squash — remain permitted for import, with the exception of watermelons, grapes and squash, which are subject to variable import restrictions under the applicable regulations.

The clarification followed an earlier announcement stating that the General Commission of Customs had suspended imports of the listed products at the request of the Ministry of Agriculture, a claim the ministry subsequently denied.