Anbar farmers protest over unpaid dues; governor pledges payment but gives no date

ANBAR, Iraq — Farmers in Iraq's Anbar province held a protest outside grain silos in the provincial capital on Wednesday, demanding payment of outstanding dues owed to them for the 2025 and 2026 harvest seasons. Anbar Governor Omar Dabbus joined the demonstrators and told them he had been following up on the issue with relevant ministries in Baghdad. Speaking by phone to the Ministry of Trade and the minister in front of the protesters, Dabbus said the prime minister and the trade minister had prioritized settling farmers' dues across all provinces, not only in Anbar. He added that he would also pursue the rights of families of security personnel killed and wounded in the province. The governor declined to set a specific timeline for the payments, saying the process could be completed within a day, a month or a year. The lack of a firm date drew a sharp reaction from the farmers, who pointed to outstanding dues from previous harvest seasons still awaiting settlement. The protesters also called on the Ministry of Agriculture to narrow the gap between official pesticide pricing and market rates, and demanded that the wheat purchase price be fixed at 850,000 dinars per ton.