Iraq's 2025 potato imports reach $52.4 million, researcher says

Iraq imported around 90,000 tons of potatoes in 2025, generating a bill of $52.4 million, according to researcher Ali Karim Izhaib, citing IndexBox data. Iran, Egypt and Turkey accounted for the largest share of the imports, with prices tied to domestic output, transportation costs and weather conditions in the exporting countries. Izhaib also pointed to separate trends in tomato trade, arguing that fresh and chilled products should be analyzed apart from processed ones. Fresh tomato imports fell to roughly 13,000 tons in 2023, a 94.9 percent drop from the 2021 peak of 350,000 tons. He said the decline likely reflected stronger domestic supply or import restrictions rather than shifts in consumption alone. Izhaib framed the policy question not as banning imports but as strengthening local production in volume, price, quality and continuity. He added that the potato import bill could become an opportunity for domestic agriculture if paired with investment in farming, storage and logistics.