When people think of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region or Iraq, greenhouse horticulture may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet there are opportunities in the region, observes Adriaan IJsselstein, who recently moved to Iraq's Kurdistan Region as consul-general. "Here, Holland stands for quality and good knowledge. It may require more patience than in the Netherlands, but there are definitely opportunities."
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is an autonomous region, and has been a beacon of relative peace and stability even in turbulent times, Adriaan says. Not only that: it is also home to quite a few Dutch people, including those who fled to the Netherlands after the wars and oppression at the end of the 1900's and returned to the area as entrepreneurs with Dutch passports after 2003, as well as other Dutch entrepreneurs. Hence, the relationship with the Netherlands is intense and positive and has already resulted in remarkable developments. For instance, partly thanks to the Dutch potato sector, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has grown from an importer of potato products to an exporter of fries to the Middle East. Local potato production has increased in about a decade from a few thousand tonnes a year in 2012 to at least 600,000 tonnes in 2024.
Adriaan lists the contributions of Dutch seed potatoes, knowledge exchange, and Dutch technology in planting, harvesting, and processing, all the way to the crisps and chips factories. "That sector is now going very well, providing jobs for many people, and that is thanks to Dutch input. We are now working closely together to make cultivation and processing more sustainable. The Netherlands still exports seed potatoes here, but this region has grown from importer to exporter of fries, among other things."
The vegetable sector could go through a similar development. While the country has extensive production, the matching of tomato production, for example, to market demand is not good. "There is no lack of a good harvest, but that is only once a year - and then the market supply is abundant and one-sided," Adriaan outlines. "Diversification, quality of production, packaging, storage and transport is still in its infancy, so much of the production is lost. And when the season ends, it is imported again from surrounding countries like Turkey and Iran."
The same is true of the ornamental horticulture sector, which is still in its infancy. Although the vast majority of the local supply of flowers and plants comes from the Netherlands, there is also a local rose nursery and other small-scale ornamental growing initiatives.
"During the period when air traffic was difficult, this rose nursery was able to continue supplying. Dutch techniques could help further improve cultivation, and promote the sustainability of cultivation."
The government also sees these opportunities. The regional government is committed to diversifying the economy through agriculture in particular. Moreover, with 6.5 million inhabitants in the Kurdistan Region itself, and with 46 million inhabitants in federal Iraq, there is an ample market.
"The country of Iraq as a whole gets a lot of money from oil. But that is not sustainable and provides relatively few jobs. Besides, the government wants to be less dependent on other countries for their food supply." That is why investment is being encouraged by the Iraqi government. Not so much with a bag of money, but by facilitating projects and supporting entrepreneurs.
The Kurdistan Autonomous Region is already home to many small and some large "greenhouse" horticultural enterprises. Film tunnels are scattered throughout the region, in particular around Sulaymania and Erbil, but more professional greenhouses also exist. These include tomato and cucumber nurseries and propagators, often equipped with Turkish materials.
"There are many prejudices about this region, but the Kurdistan Autonomous Region government's trade relations with neighboring countries are good. Turkey is investing a lot in this region and is very active in construction and infrastructure. And there are Turkish suppliers active, including in horticulture. Only - and this is our strength - the Netherlands is strongly associated with knowledge and quality." For instance, a Dutch-Kurdish entrepreneur is currently finalizing a greenhouse construction project together with Dutch investments and a Dutch greenhouse builder. This project has been promoted by the Dutch government, partly to show how better crop results can be achieved with less water consumption.
"Water is available, but its use could be much more efficient," Adriaan says.
And that applies to many things, Adriaan outlines. "There is flat land available, there are enough workers - but it needs investment," he says. "In the area of knowledge and also in areas such as labor law and sustainability because there are big steps to be made in those areas too. You can see that Dutch entrepreneurs can play an exemplary role by providing training and good employment contracts, for example."
It is clear that despite not being based in the country for long, Adriaan sees the potential. "The greenhouse horticulture sector here is still in its infancy, and doing business here is different from in the Netherlands. The banks work differently, and you are not done with a good offer and three phone calls. It requires a more adventurous attitude, more patience, more cups of tea, and evening meals, but then there are interesting opportunities."
For more information:
Dutch consulate general in Erbil, Iraq
3rd Floor Star Tower
Gulan Street
Erbil
Iraq
erb@minbuza.nl