Wednesday, July 25, 2007

 

Iraqi govt to help farmers

Agriculture
(Middle East Times) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki Wednesday announced a new plan to provide subsidies for Iraqi farmers to protect them from "unjust competition" from other countries. "All farmers in Iraq have encountered extreme economic hardship when faced with unjust competition from growers of other countries that export their produce to Iraq at discounted prices," a statement from his office said.
"In order for Iraqi farmers to compete in such uneven economic conditions, the Iraqi government has the responsibilities to protect them from unfair trade policies," it added. The initiative will provide subsidies for seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides and guarantee the "purchase of their produce of strategic crops at market price," the statement said.
The statement did not say how much the government would be spending on the initiative, which will also include loans to farmers, rural irrigation projects, and the creation of a government agency to supervise the agricultural sector. The new agency, to consist of agricultural experts, will "stabilize domestic prices and control foreign trade to ensure adequate food supplies and to stabilize domestic prices for several food commodities," the statement said. The agricultural sector in Iraq accounts for around 40 percent of the local economy, but has suffered from decades of war and economic sanctions.

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