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Iraq

taining Iraq’s agricultural systems. Early‑season dry weather conditions hampered
Through our collaboration with FAO
and partners, we are addressing ur- cereal planting operations
gent needs while advancing national
efforts toward resilience and sustain-
able agricultural development.”
Within this broader national ef-
fort, the initiative also contributes to
United Nations support to Iraq in ad-
dressing climate change impacts and
protecting vulnerable populations.
It further aligns with the United
Nations Sustainable Development
Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF)
2025–2029 for Iraq, including FAO’s Planting of 2026 cereal crops, main-
role in co-leading Results Group 3 on ly wheat and barley, was completed
climate action and resilience, sup- last December. Early-season dry
porting efforts to protect livelihoods weather conditions between October
and strengthen the resilience of agri- and November hampered planting cially estimated at 4.4 million tonnes,
operations and delayed crop estab-
about 4 percent below the average.
food systems and rural communities. lishment. The government restricted The official production estimate ex-
“Climate change is already affect- the area irrigated with surface water cludes Kurdistan Region (KRI) and
ing livelihoods and food security due to water shortages. However, some villages in the governorates of
the late onset of rains in December
across Iraq, particularly in the south- partially replenished soil moisture Ninewa, Kirkuk, Diyala, Anbar and
ern marshlands,” said United Na- and supported crop development. Salah al-Din. Dry weather conditions
between October 2024 and February
tions Resident Coordinator in Iraq, In January 2026, rainfall amounts re- 2025 constrained crop establishment
Ghulam Isaczai. “Strengthening re- mained above average in the main and early development. Despite im-
silience in vulnerable communities, northern producing governorates, proved rainfall in the spring, it was
especially those dependent on ag- including Dahuk, Erbil, Ninewa and insufficient to offset early moisture
Sulaymaniya, while below-average
riculture, is critical. The United Na- rainfall amounts were recorded in the deficits.
tions continues to work closely with rest of the country. As of end-Febru- Above-average import require-
the Government and partners to ad- ary 2026, geospatial indicators point ments forecast in 2025/26
dress the growing impacts of climate to generally favourable crop condi- Wheat import requirements for the
change and support sustainable live- tions, ranging from near to above 2025/26 marketing year (July/June)
lihoods across the country.” average. These conditions are sup- are estimated at about 2.4 million
ported by abundant rainfall in the
By combining emergency assis- north, the availability of irrigation tonnes, nearly 8 percent above the
tance with sustained engagement, systems and the provision of govern- five-year average, mirroring the do-
mestic production shortfalls in 2025.
FAO continues to work closely with ment-subsidized inputs. Conducive
United Nations and development weather conditions for the remainder Retail wheat flour and rice prices
partners to support the Government of the season remain critical to main- decreased year-on-year in February
tain positive yield prospects. Despite
of Iraq’s efforts to address climate subsidies, input prices, particularly 2026
challenges affecting the agriculture for fertilizers and fuel, remain a con- National average prices of wheat
sector, particularly in vulnerable cern for farmers, amid rising risks of flour and rice decreased by about 6
regions such as the southern marsh- supply chain disruptions and higher and 8 percent, respectively, in Feb-
lands. Through partnerships and tar- international energy, and fertilizer ruary 2026 compared to 12 months
geted interventions, FAO contributes costs following the escalation of re- before, reflecting adequate domestic
supply and the implementation of the
gional conflicts in late February 2026.
to safeguarding livelihoods, enhanc- government’s subsidy programme
ing food security, and promoting sus- Below-average wheat harvest esti- that helped stabilize food prices and
tainable natural resource manage- mated in 2025 supported household access to staple
ment across the country. The wheat harvest in 2025 is offi- food commodities.
Arab Agriculture 2026 21