27/11/2014

The Republic of Iraq has acceded to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture on 29 September 2014, becoming the Treaty’s 133rd Contracting Party as of 27 November 2014.

"We are very happy to welcome Iraq to our growing membership", said Shakeel Bhatti, Secretary of the Governing Body of the Treaty. "As part of the fertile crescent, Iraq is among the countries that house the origins of agriculture, and we are delighted to have Iraq join theTreaty community and to work together to conserve the world’s plant genetic resources for future generations."

As a Contracting Party of the International Treaty, Iraq will gain a number of advantages, including promoting crop breeding and facilitated access to a global gene pool of more than 1.6 million plants that belong to the most important food crops. Furthermore, Iraq will now be eligible to submit project proposals to the Benefit-Sharing Fund of the Treaty, to participate in technology transfer and capacity building programs, and to be represented at the biennial meetings of the Governing Body of the International Treaty.

Crop Diversity

Despite the fact that almost 97% of Iraq is arid lands with erratic rainfall, about 26% is cultivable. Soil salinity is a major issue in Iraq, as in most countries in the region. Iraq has four vegetation zones: the desert, the steppe, the mountain forest, and the Alpine regions. The northern part of Iraq is a rich center of diversity for a number of stone fruit trees, both wild and domesticated. Evergreen fruit trees, including date palm, predominate in central and southern Iraq. Major food crops in Iraq include wheat, barley, dates, paddy rice, pulses, tomatoes and potatoes.

International Membership

In addition to acceding to the International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Iraq is member of a number of other international treaties and commissions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the International Plant Protection Convention.