Kurdish Policy Analysis

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis The KRG has launched the second phase of Project Bloom, providing loans of up to IQD 150 million to 100 agricultural and industrial SMEs to boost jobs and economic diversification. New initiative offers loans of up to IQD 150 million to expand domestic production, create jobs, and accelerate economic diversification in the Kurdistan Region The Kurdistan Regional Government has officially launched the second phase of Project Bloom (Gashanawa/Geshanewe) , expanding one of its flagship economic initiatives to provide financial support for 100 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the agriculture and industrial sectors. Under the new phase, eligible businesses will receive concessional financing ranging from IQD 1 million to IQD 150 million , as the government seeks to stimulate private-sector growth, increase domestic production, and create hundreds of new jobs across the Kurdistan Region . The project forms part of the...

  By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Kurdish Policy Analysis How adapting—not copying—China's village revitalization strategy could ease Iraq's urban crisis, strengthen food security, and build climate resilience Can China’s rural revival inspire Iraq? Lessons from Zhejiang suggest a new path to reduce migration, revive agriculture, and tackle climate change. This analysis draws on the insightful article "What Iraq Could Learn from China's Rural Revival" by Tanya Goudsouzian and Ibrahim Al-Marashi , published by Amwaj.media . The authors examine how China's rural revitalization strategy—particularly the transformation of Zhejiang Province—offers valuable lessons for Iraq's policymakers as they confront rapid urbanization, agricultural decline, climate pressures, and the need for more balanced national development. While emphasizing that Beijing's model cannot be replicated wholesale, they argue that adapting its core principles could help Iraq revive its country...

  By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis   With Baghdad's procurement quota exhausted, private companies are purchasing remaining wheat from Kurdish farmers, offering new opportunities for local industry while highlighting the continuing challenges of federal-regional agricultural coordination. Private companies have begun purchasing surplus wheat across the Kurdistan Region after Baghdad completed its procurement quota, marking a new phase for local agriculture and food security. Private Sector Begins Purchasing Remaining Kurdistan Wheat The Kurdistan Region has entered a new phase of its 2026 wheat marketing season as private companies begin purchasing grain left unsold after the Iraqi federal government's procurement programme reached its allocated quota. The initiative marks an important shift in the Region's agricultural market, with private investment helping absorb remaining production while supporting local flour manufacturing and reducing dependence on...

  By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis The Kurdistan Regional Government says investment has surpassed USD 25.3 billion across 856 strategic projects, marking one of the largest economic transformation programmes in the Region's history. Spanning housing, tourism , manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, education and banking, the investment drive reflects a long-term strategy to reduce dependence on oil and position Kurdistan as an emerging commercial hub linking the Middle East, Türkiye and Central Asia. Investment in the Kurdistan Region has surpassed USD 25.3 billion across 856 projects, highlighting the KRG's strategy to diversify the economy, expand private investment, and reduce dependence on oil. A Quarter-Trillion Dinar Transformation For much of the past two decades, the Kurdistan Region's economy has been viewed through the prism of oil exports and fiscal disputes with Baghdad. Today, however, a different story is beginning to emerge. According ...