Iraq cabinet halts agricultural imports until end of domestic production season

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Council of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaydi, has ordered a halt to agricultural product imports until the domestic production season ends, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Media Office. The decision was taken during the cabinet's 17th regular session. The cabinet also reviewed a prime ministerial initiative to provide one million residential plots in Baghdad along with their infrastructure. In addition, ministers approved a draft Food and Drug Administration law and referred it to the Iraqi parliament to complete the legislative process. Separately, the government approved the restructuring of water and sewage projects in Baghdad funded by a World Bank loan in favor of the Baghdad Municipality, with oversight assigned to the Ministry of Planning. In the education sector, the cabinet granted a license to establish the International American School in Baghdad under a 2013 regulation governing private and foreign education institutions.