Bilateral Meeting with H.E. Abbas Jabr Al-Maliki, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Iraq

Baghdad - As part of his official visit to the Republic of Iraq, the FAO Director-General met today in Baghdad with H.E. Abbas Jabr Al-Maliki, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Iraq.

The Minister welcomed the Director-General to Iraq, appreciated FAO’s support and presented an overview of the ongoing government efforts, noting key areas such as achieving self-sufficiency in wheat production, drought response increasing exports from certain agricultural products.

The Director-General commended the Government of Iraq and the Ministry of Agriclture for the progress made in enhancing agricultural productivity, especially in wheat production and livestock, and reiterated FAO’s commitment to continue supporting the government’s efforts to transform its agrifood system. He also highlighted Iraq’s historical role as one of the first civilizations.

The Director-General and the Minister agreed to continue to strengthen partnerships, including for Iraq’s diversification into high-value crops and value chains through the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative. The pair also agreed to focus on innovation for sustainable water management, and climate resilience.