RS21516 -- Iraq's Agriculture: Background and Status
May 13, 2003

	Footnotes

1. "Agricultural PolicyIssues and Challenges in Iraq" Short- and Medium-term Options," from Iraq's Economic Predicament ,Kamil Mahdi, Editor. (back) FAOSTAT, Food and AgriculturalOrganization, United Nations, http://apps.fao.org/ 
Note: A hectare equals about 2.47 acres. "Iraq CropProduction." (back) FAOSTAT, FAO, U.N.
5. This reported new irrigated area could be a "euphemistic"reclassification of the government program of draining the southeast marshlands. (back) FAOSTAT, FAO, U.N.
11. Iraq's Participation in U.S. 14. (back) United Nations, Office of the IraqProgram -- Oil for Food; "About the Program: In Brief." Note: during 1960-69 annual cereal production per capita averaged 249 kilograms, this fell to 177 in the 1970s, and130 in the 1980s, but had regained ground to 155 kilograms during the1990-94 period.
Iraq's agricultural sector represents a small, but vital component of Iraq's economy.Over the past several decades agriculture's role in the economy has been heavily influenced by Iraq'sinvolvement in military conflicts, particularly the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War and the 1991 Gulf War, and by varyingdegrees of government efforts to promote and/or control agricultural production. In the mid-1980s, agricultureaccounted for only about 14% of the national GDP. After the imposition of U.N. sanctions and the Iraqigovernment's non-compliance with a proposed U.N. Oil-for-Food program in 1991, agriculture's share of GDP isestimatedto have risen to 35% by 1992. (1)
Rapid population growth during the past three decades, coupled with limited arable land and a generalstagnation in agricultural productivity, has steadily increased dependence on imports to meet domestic food needssince themid-1960s. By 1980 Iraq was importing about half of its food supply. By 2002, between 80% and 100% of manybasic staples -- wheat, rice, sugar, vegetable oil, and protein meals -- were imported.
This report will be updated if events warrant.