Baghdad hosts 17th International Agriculture Week fair

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The 17th International Agricultural Mechanization, Animal Production and Food Industry Week opened at the Baghdad International Fair grounds with 209 local, Arab and foreign companies in attendance. Held under the slogan "We support agriculture, we harvest a sustainable future," the fair features displays of fertilizer, animal feed, grain and food products. Hassun Muhammad, media officer for Khayr al-Jud, a company affiliated with the holy shrines of Karbala, said the firm supplies Iraqi farmers with domestically produced fertilizer and that its products compete with foreign alternatives on price and quality. Mohammed Cenci, an agricultural engineer representing a Turkish company, said it was the firm's first time taking part in the Baghdad fair, bringing white and red wheat, barley, rice, chickpeas and sesame. A sales director for Iran's Sabhan Dana company, also participating for the first time, said it was showcasing feed additives and supplements, adding that streamlined customs procedures would boost Iraq-Iran trade. The fair also includes paintings, sculptures and woven works by Iraqi artists, with a focus on women sculptors and painters.