Baghdad Conference Reviews Iraq’s Date Production and Export Ambitions

Iraq’s date industry took center stage in Baghdad at the “Hurma Hazinesi” conference, where officials and participants discussed production, development and access to foreign markets. The event underscored the crop’s economic significance as Iraq seeks to expand a sector that ranks second after oil. Sabah Bağdadi, head of the Iraq Date Council, said annual date production stands at 700,000 tons and could rise to about 1.5 million tons in the coming years. He said date revenues are currently at $450 million and that the long-term target is to raise them to $5 billion. The conference also highlighted major obstacles facing the sector, including a lack of state support and the absence of certificates needed to enter European and American markets. Participants said production and marketing cannot be managed independently and stressed the need for all parties to work together. The discussions focused on improving Iraq’s date output, strengthening the industry and opening it to external markets. Organizers and attendees framed the sector as a potentially larger contributor to the economy if investment, support and export requirements are addressed.