Iraq's cabinet has approved the 2025–2026 winter agricultural plan, which includes planting one million dunams (100,000 hectares) using surface (river) water, in addition to 3.5 million dunams approved for cultivation with groundwater.

Typically one of the Middle East's largest wheat importers, the country's cabinet stipulated that modern irrigation systems must be used for wheat cultivation.

According to the decision, no wheat will be received outside the agricultural plan set by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Last season’s winter plan (2024–2025) based on surface water covered two million dunams,(200,000 hectares).

In recent years, Iraqi agriculture has suffered from a lack of rainfall linked to climate change, less water flowing through its two main rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, and decades of conflict that have interfered with cultivation.

(Reporting by Muayad Hameed Suadi, writing by Elwely Elwelly, Editing by Louise Heavens)