Aiming at Upgrading the Agricultural Sector in Iraq
NIC Chairman .. Statute No. (7) Facilitates Starting Strategic Agricultural Projects
NIC Chairman, Dr. Sami Al- Araji assured that Statute No. (7) for selling and leasing state owned lands and properties for investment purposes (amended) ensured big support for investors willing to invest in the agricultural sector to establish strategic agricultural projects that can develop this vital sector in the country.
NIC Chairman declared that the statute had classified agricultural lands into two types, the first are the reclaimed lands that have water share where the lease amount will be estimated to receive 20% of the original lease value from investors, while the second type are the non reclaimed lands which do not have water share where only 1% of its original estimated lease value will be received from investors willing to invest in these lands.
Meanwhile, a number of provincial investment commissions had recently held some seminars to promote agricultural investment, for instance Babil Provincial Investment Commission held a seminar through which assured the importance of developing the agricultural investment status in the province in every possible means and showed the readiness to cooperate with Babil Agriculture Directorate in order to show the importance of investment in this sector and its influential role in the economic growth and providing the job opportunities for unemployed graduates and achieving the food safety for Babil province through starting strategic agricultural projects relying on the most modern scientific basis and internationally used technologies in this sector.
On the same context, officials and experts in Dyala seminar discussed the strategy of the agricultural investment map and how to grant licenses for investors in the agricultural sector and results expected out of granting these licenses in addition to explaining the importance of agricultural investment in the province for the purpose of achieving the food safety for people.
All attendees assured that agriculture sector in Iraq is facing big challenges represented by water scarcity and high prices of pesticides and agricultural production requirements stressing that investment is the most successful solution to save the agriculture status in the province and get it back to reoccupy the pose of being Iraq’s food basket.