Kurdistan cabinet moves to resolve public pension delays, wheat procurement obstacles

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq — The Kurdistan Region's Council of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, held its weekly meeting in Erbil and reviewed outstanding issues affecting retired public employees and the regional wheat purchase program. Ministers agreed that the relevant ministries would coordinate with the federal government to take the administrative steps needed to ensure that public servants who have retired but not yet received their pensions are paid in line with the law from the date they became eligible. The cabinet also examined obstacles facing the purchase and marketing of wheat from Kurdistan Region farmers during the 2025 season. The agriculture and water resources minister presented a detailed report on production and procurement figures, while the head of the Investment Authority and an official from the Ministry of Trade and Industry also briefed ministers on the file. The council stressed that the federal government's wheat purchasing plan should be implemented equally and take into account the region's needs. Separately, the cabinet discussed retirement entitlements for members of the Kurdistan Region's provincial councils and the protection of the region's legal share in current spending, the food basket, medicine, energy support and wheat marketing. It decided that a detailed report should be prepared to clarify these rights under the federal budget law so that payments to the region's citizens are collected without delay.