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Agriculture’s driving force
By By Aram Eissa - SLEMANI-in SOMA newspaper
Soma paper NO. 33 Dec. 14-27. 2007
A program to sell cars tax-free to farmers has received mixed reactions. Farmers insist that modern agricultural equipment is the need of the hour.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in collaboration with the Kurdistan Farmer’s Union and the Ministry of Agriculture with one of a number of new initiatives in place to encourage farmers, has sold cars ranging from double cabin Nissans at US$12,800 to single cabin ones at US$11,500 without tax and the cost of the number plate. They are all 2008 series.

“Not charging us for these two things will help a great deal because the tax alone is US$680 and the cost of a number plate in the city of Slemani is US$3,500. The first installment will include 2,000 cars all of which will come from Sardar Cars, which has received the approval of the Deputy Prime Minister,” said Kasrow Shawkat Fatah, head of the Kurdistan Farmer’s Union Slemani branch.

Fatah pointed out, however, that they were still in talks to increase the number of cars allocated to the farmers in Slemani. “Farmers in Erbil were assigned 10,000 and we are trying to get the same amount given to those in Slemani,” he said.

These cars will be distributed to those farmers that have no less than 25 donams of land or 250 animals but the number of farmers far exceeds the supply of cars and Fatah points out that in those instances all names are put into a bowl and those picked randomly will be chosen.

And while he admits this may be a rather unprofessional way of deciding on such matters, he concedes that there is no other way. Although this form of encouragement is welcome, Fatah points out that cars are not really at the top of the list when it comes to necessary equipments for farmers.

“We are more in need of agricultural equipment than anything else because since 1981 no machinery has come into the region and the ones we do have are now old. What used to take an hour because it was new now takes four hours,” he said.

Fatah pointed that it is often reiterated that our country is guaranteed rain but this is not always the case and there are years when the supposed rainy season is very dry. He explains that this is a problem that needs to be addressed by purchasing water equipment such as sprinklers so that work is not halted due to the shortage of rain.

“It is these issues that need to be solved first. I’m not saying we are ungrateful for the cars but there are other things that should take priority,” said Fatah. “It has now been agreed that anyone who brings in machinery used for grains the government will contribute US$10,000 toward the cost and if it’s machinery used for digging up the terrain the assistance will be US$1,500,” added Fatah.

Fatah explained that they had built 200 greenhouses in Kurdistan with a Lebanese construction company. Each greenhouse cost US$10,000 with half of them built in Slemani.

Fatah explained that approval has been given for a further 300 to be built and believes that within a short period of time Kurdistan will be able to depend on its own produce and import less.

Fatah explained that US$2 million has been allocated to help farmers bring in their produce into the cities especially fruit of which to date US$500,000 has been utilized. “We have put taxes on imports so that our own goods are able to compete better of which in return will aid the growth of our economy,” he said.

Farmers are there not only to compete with other farmers whether they be from within the Kurdistan Region or abroad but they need to compete with the other sectors primarily the industrial sector. Many see money in construction and tall buildings but more needs to be done to encourage people to look to agriculture.