Shafaq News- Erbil

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq imported more than $12 billion worth of goods in 2025, with imports accounting for 95% of total trade activity, an official told Shafaq News on Sunday.

The Head of the Kurdish Importers and Exporters Union, Mustafa Sheikh Abdul Rahman, noted that “the volume of imported goods reflects the Region’s heavy reliance on international markets, posing challenges to diversifying local resources and boosting domestic production.”

Neighboring countries topped the list of trade partners, with Turkiye ranking first as the largest supplier, followed by Iran and China, in addition to European and Arab countries and the United States.

According to Sheikh Abdul Rahman, all international land border crossings, Parvizkhan, Bashmakh, and Haji Omran with Iran, and Ibrahim Khalil with Turkiye, are equipped with advanced quality control and inspection centers to ensure imported goods meet approved standards. He added that all imports are subject to official licensing issued by the Kurdish Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The Kurdistan Region launched a three-phase trade reform strategy last month aimed at shifting from import dependence toward export expansion after strengthening domestic production, Sheikh Abdul Rahman told Shafaq News.

Exports in 2025 were carried out under 115 licenses covering nearly 100,000 tons of goods, with over 65% of factory output shipped to central and southern Iraq, alongside agricultural exports that included more than 100,000 tons of potatoes to Gulf markets.