KRG holds agricultural conference

ERBIL, Iraq, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Agricultural development in the northern Kurdish areas of Iraq will help the greater country achieve sustainability in the sector, officials said.

Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani with the Kurdistan Regional Government presided over a two-day agricultural conference in the Kurdish capital of Erbil, the KRG said.

"We in the Council of Ministers have decided to make this year a year for the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector, the realization of a policy of self-sufficiency, and working toward ensuring sustainable food security in a short period of time," he said.

Barzani said a strong agricultural sector would reverse the trends from the Saddam Hussein era and called on lawmakers to adopt a strategy to revive farming in the Kurdish region.

"We must take these steps in such a way that farmers and the owners of animal farms see production as being sacred," he said.

He told the audience his government has set aside $10.4 billion for a five-year plan to bring modern technology to the agricultural sector and boost investments.

The conference also was attended by Ali Hussein al- Bahadli, the Iraqi minister of agriculture.