“The total quantity of oil exported in March was amounted to 74.3 million barrels, or an average of nearly 2.4 million barrels per day ,” The Ministry of Oil said in a statement reported for " Shafaq News “.

It added that the revenue earned from exports of March stood at 7.507 billion dinars at a rate of sale price amounted to $ 101.036 per barrel.

The ministry indicated in a statement that the exported quantities were divided between Basra oil , which reached 73.5 million barrels of oil and Kirkuk , which reached 800 thousand barrels only .

The ministry said that the decline in exports due to the recurrence of attacks on the oil pipeline from Kirkuk to Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.

Kirkuk - Ceyhan pipeline has witnessed frequent stop to the flow of oil and subjected to attacks 54 times by the rebels last year, which reduced the likely level of exports from Kirkuk.

Sources in NOC said that the acts of destruction caused stop the flow of oil in the pipeline in early March and violence escalation prevented the technical reform of damage .

As a result, industry sources said that one tanker and one shipment have been exported from Kirkuk crude through the pipeline in March, which means that the daily average is of 30 thousand barrels per day , down from 300 thousand barrels per day in February .

Thus the Iraqi exports amounted little more than 2.5 million barrels per day in March , down from February 's level of 2.8 million barrels per day , which was described by the Deputy Prime Minister for Energy , Hussain al-Shahristani as high standard rate.

North exports may increase if Kurdistan region began to export oil through the pipeline to Turkey . As an old dispute has not been resolved between Baghdad and Erbil yet.