Readout of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Muhammad Karim Al-Khafaji, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Iraq

Rome--The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, had a meeting with Muhammad Karim Al-Khafaji, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Iraq.

The Director-General expressed his appreciation for the invaluable support and collaboration from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Government of Iraq in securing the successful holding of the Near East Regional Conference in Baghdad in February 2022, also considering that it was the first Regional Conference to be hosted in the Near East since 2010.

The Director-General welcomed the continued cooperation between FAO and the Republic of Iraq towards the transformation of agrifood systems.

The Minister provided an overview of the efforts of the Government to promote the agriculture sector in cooperation with FAO. He referred, in particular, to the FAO projects in the Nineveh Governorate, which target rural areas, resulting in a commitment from the Ministry to expand this successful experience to other Governorates.

The Director-General and the Minister agreed to continue cooperation in addressing the challenges facing the agriculture sector in Iraq, particularly sandstorms and water scarcity, while supporting local communities and small-scale producers.