A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the implementing partner of the Iraq Horticulture Development Program (IHD), ECO Consult and the Sulaymaniyah partner at the Netherlands Consulate General in the governorate of Sulaymaniyah on April 26, 2021. The signing ceremony was held in the presence of Hans Akerboom, Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Dr. Haval Abubaker, Governor of Sulaymaniyah, and other key officials and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Directorate of Agriculture and Water Resources of Sulaymaniyah, and Directorate of Kurdistan Investment in Sulaymaniyah.
With this MoU, IHD kicked started the implementation of multiple climate-smart, multi-span hydroponic greenhouses specialized in producing leafy greens. As with all its projects, IHD is providing ongoing technical assistance and training to farmers to help ease the transition to these new technologies. The training also focuses on building consensus of the local markets and emphasizing on post-harvest practices, such as marketing and branding the produce.
In December, the first IHD horticulture project was signed in Erbil to launch the first high-tech greenhouse, which is currently under construction." Now, only four months later, we witness the signing of yet another agreement to launch a second horticulture project here in Sulaymaniyah, which will be partially funded by both the Netherlands and our private partner, Mr. Ranj Beg." Hans Akerboom, Consul General of the Netherlands, stated in his speech. "We're here today to sign this agreement with a Kurdish entrepreneur who will receive Dutch financial assistance to invest in an innovative, high-tech greenhouse, which will make his products better, safer, tastier, and cheaper." He continued.
It is worth noting that IHD has begun its operations in the Kurdistan Region, beginning with a multi-span greenhouse in Erbil to grow cherry tomatoes and a second multi-span greenhouse in Sulaymaniyah to produce leafy greens. These will be followed by Baghdad in the central region and Basra in the southern region and will build on the Netherlands' long-standing cooperation with Baghdad's Ministry of Agriculture and the Kurdish Regional Government.
