Day: 29 July 2023

The Ministry of Municipality (MOM), represented by the Department of Agricultural Affairs, provided agricultural mechanization service to farmers, by securing new plows and special equipment in Umm Salal, Al Sheehaniya and Al Shamal centres for agricultural services.

The agricultural equipment provided by the Ministry of Municipality includes plow rails, plow transport vehicles, land leveling machines and their carriers (lowbeds), which are the equipment required by farmers for land preparation, plowing and leveling operations, whether for open land, greenhouses or net halls.

Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality Youssef Khaled Al Khulaifi said that the support provided to farmers comes within the framework of the strategy to develop the agricultural sector and keep pace with technology by using the best modern methods and means in agriculture. As part of its strategy, the department adopted an initiative to provide various agricultural mechanization services for the agricultural season 2023-2024, he explained.

He also indicated that the provision of agricultural mechanization service began this month for registered farms, by providing agricultural machinery and equipment such as tractors, plows and other equipment through the three agricultural service centres distributed according to the different geographical regions of the country (the northern centre in Zubarah, the central centre in Umm Salal, and the southern centre in Al Sheehaniya).

For his part, Head of Guidance and Agricultural Services at the Agricultural Affairs Department, Ahmed Al Yafei, said that the agricultural mechanization service is provided to the farmer within a period ranging between two and four days after submitting a request for the service, as the waiting period has been greatly shortened, with the increase in the number of plows and agricultural equipment.

He underlined the importance of communication with farm owners and providing services to them to ensure that the land is ready. He noted that the equipment are working at a rate of 6 hours per day in all centers to accomplish the required work inside the farms according to the required need. The work completion rate in the three agricultural service centres has reached 90 percent since the beginning of this July, he pointed.

The Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality implements many initiatives, projects and services within the agricultural support plan provided to farm owners, the most prominent of which is the initiative to expand protected agriculture and modern irrigation systems, through the distribution of airconditioned and regular greenhouses as well as the hydroponic system greenhouses, in addition to agricultural production requirements including seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and some other supplies, such as packing boxes for marketing local vegetables in various sales outlets, and other requirements for marketing the local agricultural product.

Source: Qatar News Agency

The Russian government announced a ban on the export of rice and rice groats until December 31, 2023, with the aim of maintaining the stability of the local market, in a new extension of a measure that was taken for the first time a year ago.

“The government has imposed a temporary ban on the export of rice and rice groats, and the restrictions will be in effect until December 31, 2023,” the Russian Cabinet said in a statement, explaining that this decision was taken to maintain stability in the local market.

The Russian Government indicated that the ban did not apply to exports to the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

It added that it is allowed to send grain and rice abroad as humanitarian aid, as well as in the framework of international transit operations.

The Russian authorities banned the export of rice and rice groats on June 30, 2022 for six months, and extended the ban on December 31 for another six months.

Yesterday, the UAE Ministry of Economy announced that it would temporarily stop exporting and re-exporting rice outside the country for a period of 4 months, to ensure that adequate supplies are maintained in the local market.

A few days ago, India, the world’s largest exporter of rice, announced that it would ban the export of white rice, except for Basmati, with “immediate effect”, in a decision that could lead to a rise in global rice prices.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Turkish Statistics Authority announced, today, Saturday, that Iraq came fifth in the list of the largest importers from Turkey last June, noting that Turkish exports and imports decreased by 10.5% and 17.5%, respectively.

The Authority stated in a report: “Turkey’s exports for the month of June amounted to 20 billion and 904 million dollars, recording a decrease of 10.5 percent, compared to the same month of the year 2022,” indicating that “Turkey’s imports in September recorded 26 billion and 64 million dollars, a decrease of 17.5%, from The same period in 2022.

It pointed out that “Iraq came fifth in importing Turkey’s exports to the countries of the world last June, with a value of 986 million dollars, while Germany was the main partner country for exports with one billion and 784 million dollars, followed by the United States of America with one billion and 331 million dollars, and then the United Kingdom third, with one billion and 65 million dollars, and Italy is fourth, with one billion and 12 million dollars,” indicating that “the proportion of the first five countries in total exports amounted to 29.6% in May 2023.”

Iraq imports most of the commodities, goods and foodstuffs from neighboring countries, especially Turkey and Iran, and to a lesser extent from the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency