Iraq to import 3.8 million tons of wheat from U.S.: ambassador

Shafaq News/ Iraq will import 3.8 million metric tons of wheat over the next year to meet Iraqi need for bread, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski, wrote on X on Thursday.

Romanowski said that "U.S. companies will aid Iraq's growing wheat demand while the Iraqi government increases the production of locally grown wheat."

The Iraqi government is trying to increase national wheat production. Yet, Iraq's wheat supply does not meet the demand.

Wheat production, according to data by the U.S. embassy, dropped slightly to 3.9 Million Metric Tons (MMT) for 2022/2023 while predictions for wheat imports increased to 3.8 MMT for 2023/2024.

"The government of Iraq strives to meet Iraq’s increasing population’s wheat demand with national production but relies on wheat imports as well," the U.S. Embassy said in a post on Facebook.

"Iraq's Ministry of Agriculture also helps wheat production by subsidizing seeds for research, reproduction, and cultivation," it said. "U.S. private companies also support Iraq’s growing wheat demand with 150,000 metric tons of wheat exports to Iraq in 2022."