The position of Poland

Deputy Minister Ryszard Bartosik pointed out that Iraq was one of the major Middle East importers of agri-food products from Poland (following Saudi Arabia, Israel, Türkiye and United Arab Emirates). He added that Polish companies in the agricultural sector were interested in strengthening their position on the Iraqi market and that information on the Iraqi demand for agri-food products would be valuable for us. This would help in a better adjustment of the Polish export offer. The Deputy Minister indicated the National Support Centre for Agriculture as the government body which provided effective support for the purposes of the development of business cooperation with foreign partners.

The Secretary of State stressed that we expected a quick finalisation of the procedure for the approval of veterinary certificates for the exports of more products of animal origin from Poland to Iraq, including poultry meat and frozen beef.

The position of Iraq

The Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Iraq spoke with appreciation about the achievements of the Polish agri-food sector. He expressed his hopes for the opportunities of exchanging knowledge and experience with Polish experts and also for the cooperation on scientific research (among others, in the scope of soil analysis), machinery and equipment, as well as agricultural technologies.

Dr. Muqdad Algaldos also encouraged Polish companies to invest in Iraqi agriculture. He added that Iraq would be interested in importing agricultural equipment, irrigation systems or veterinary medicines from Poland. He said that Iraq expected a greater interest on the part of Polish entrepreneurs in the participation in sectoral fairs organised in his country.

The Memorandum under negotiation

An important topic addressed during the meeting was the Memorandum on the Polish-Iraqi cooperation in the field of agriculture now under negotiation. The interlocutors expressed their hopes that the text would be agreed and the document would be signed as soon as possible. They noted that it could spur joint efforts in many areas, including plant and animal breeding or scientific cooperation.

Exports of agri-food products to Iraq

In 2022, the value of the exports of agri-food products to Iraq was EUR 57 million, growing by 38% compared with 2021. The main products exported to Iraq in 2022 included processed food, cheeses and curds, bread, bakery products, cakes and pastries, malt extract, processed flour-based food, chocolate and cocoa-containing processed food. In the period from January to April 2023, we exported products with a value of more than EUR 21 million to Iraq.