"This type [of potato] is in high demand in the Kurdistan Region and all of Iraq. We have been testing 'Spectra' for four years," Bayiz Zebari, a local farmer, told Rudaw in June.
Spectra is the commercial name for a variety of potato with regular tuber shape, attractive yellow skin and preferable taste.
These features, he said, mean it is more expensive than other potato varieties by 100 dinars (about 7.5 cents) per kilogram. The company that produces the potato seeds is based in the Netherlands. They export Spectra to 80 countries including some in the Middle East.
Zebari hired 160 seasonal workers to harvest the potatoes this season. They load the potatoes onto trucks with destinations primarily in central and southern Iraq.
Ahmad Anbari is an Iraqi businessman. He said the Iraqi market needs at least 2,500 tons per day. He traveled to the field to monitor the process.
"All of Iraq's eyes are on the Kurdistan Region produce," Anbari said. "It is the harvest season for onions and potatoes. I transport six to seven truckloads of potatoes on a daily basis from this farm."
Duhok's agriculture department told Rudaw they are expecting 500,000 tons of potatoes this year. Exceptional rainfall this spring caused some damage to the produce; otherwise, they were expecting a far more productive harvest season.
Local farmers have also improved storage facilities. Muhsin Abdullah said they used to waste about eight tons of potatoes because of poor storage, but now that is down to four tons.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) also has encouraged exports to regional and international markets. Last August, the UAE imported 300 tons, and then they requested another 3,000 tons with a portion of the export aimed to meet the needs of restaurants like McDonald's, Luqman Hajji, head of sales at the Kurdistan-Holland company for agricultural investments, told Rudaw last August.
