Iraq Agriculture Ministry bans seed potato imports

Iraq's Ministry of Agriculture banned the import of potato seeds and called to rely on local products after they are subject to examinations by an an ad hoc ministerial committee, according to a Ministry release on Sunday. "The decision was taken after an important meeting held by the undersecretary of agriculture and the director of the general horticulture company, Mahdi Damad al-Qaysi, with the heads of the ministry department,"read the release as received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency. The ministry also adopted agro-investments in coordination with the higher committee on agricultural initiative and means to develop dates, Iraq's national product.