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. 

#مزاعون في #ناحية_شيخ_سعد بمحافظة #واسط يتظاهرون احتجاجاً على ارتفاع أسعار "الكاز" وتأخر صرف مستحقاتهم المالية ويغلقون طريقاً رئيسياً بالحاصدات والجرارات الزراعية#شفق_نيوز pic.twitter.com/xFtrlOs8Vi

— شفق نيوز - shafaq news (@shafaqnewsarb) September 8, 2026

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.