Iraq, one of the most important markets for Turkish food and agricultural products, bans pasta and noodle imports from Turkey. The decision follows the ban on imports of eggs, beverages and ice cream.

Bad news came from Iraq to the Turkish pasta sector, which exports to more than 160 countries. Iraq, which banned the import of eggs in May and beverages and ice cream imports in June, has issued a communiqué on the prohibition of table salt, noodle varieties and pasta imports from Turkey in July. The decision of the Iraqi Council of Ministers will take effect after 60 days and will remain in force for a year. Abülkadir Külahçıoğlu, the Chairman of Pasta Industrialists Association of Turkey, stated that pasta exports to Iraq stopped completely with Baghdad’s decision, listing the reasons for the decision as the tense political relations between Turkey and Iraq and the efforts to expand domestic production with the pasta factories established in the country. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) data, Turkey has exported 78 thousand 200 tons of pasta to Iraq and earned 32.7 million dollars in 2018. Being among the top ten destinations of Turkish pasta, Iraq imported 29,000 tons of Turkish pasta worth $ 11.5 million in the first five months of this year. Iraq’s import ban will adversely affect Turkish pasta exporters in the Southeastern Anatolia region, particularly in Gaziantep.