Wasit farmers protest over fuel prices, delayed payments

Shafaq News- Wasit

Farmers in Sheikh Saad district of Wasit province protested Tuesday over rising diesel prices and delays in receiving payments owed to them, a Shafaq News correspondent reported.

The protesters blocked the highway using combine harvesters and agricultural tractors. 

On Monday, parliamentary Agriculture and Water Committee member Falih al-Khazali said farmers who had delivered their crops were owed 1.5 trillion Iraqi dinars (about $1.15B), calling on the government to accelerate payments.

Al-Khazali argued that the government would have moved faster if the money were owed to foreign companies, for fear they could pursue claims against Iraq internationally.

Farmers across Wasit have staged protests in recent months over delayed crop payments, wheat prices, irrigation water, fertilizer and fuel costs.

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