Kurdistan Region Announces Vegetable Self-Sufficiency and Major Supply to Central and Southern Iraq

The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Agriculture has announced that the region has achieved self-sufficiency in vegetable production, positioning it as a major supplier to markets across several Iraqi provinces.

Ministry spokesperson Qarman Qadir Mawlood said the Kurdistan Region supplies more than one million tonnes of fruits and vegetables annually to cities and provinces in central and southern Iraq.

He noted that a number of crops, including basil, mint and tarragon, are now marketed in large commercial quantities through wholesale markets before being distributed to other parts of the country.

Mawlood added that agricultural products undergo laboratory testing to ensure compliance with quality, agricultural and health-safety standards before being marketed outside the region.

The rise in agricultural output comes amid growing global demand for aromatic and leafy plants, which are widely used as raw materials in industries including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food production.

International economic estimates put the current global basil trade at around $1.57 billion, with projections reaching $2.48 billion by 2035. The global mint market is currently estimated at between $3.72 billion and $6.8 billion, with forecasts suggesting it could approach $11 billion by 2030.