Kurdistan Region to Produce Over 650,000 Tons of Potatoes This Year
100,000 tons of potatoes are needed annually in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources data cited by K24. Nonetheless, production is expected to exceed 650,000 tons this year.
The amount of potatoes produced this year is predicted to be more than 300,000 tons in the Nawkur plains alone, exceeding domestic need.
Consequently, the government is working to market and export the surplus, particularly to Gulf countries.
Experts in agriculture stress the need to export farmers’ goods outside of the Kurdistan Region, pointing out that doing so motivates farmers to improve and grow their businesses.
Since 2009, the Nawkur Plain has seen a boom in potato farming, making it the hub of potato production in both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Every year, more than 3,000 hectares of potatoes are farmed in the Nawkur plain in the Bardarash district of Duhok province.
In the area, potatoes are divided into two categories: industrial potatoes, which are used to make six types of chips and fingerlings, and edible potatoes, which have roughly thirty varieties.
Potatoes are planted in the Kurdistan Region between February 1 and March 1, with harvesting starting in early June. Planting roots at a depth of 20 cm and spacing them 25 cm apart is the conventional planting technique.
