Visit by Iraqi Agriculture Minister to Australia

We warmly welcome the visit to Australia this week of Dr Abdul Amir Al-Abood, the interim Minister for Agriculture, who will be accompanied by Mr Nasir Al-Chadirchi, member of the Iraqi Governing Council.

Dr Al-Abood is visiting Australia at the invitation of the Australian Government to familiarise himself with Australian agricultural policies and industry capabilities. Dr Al-Abood’s visit will enable him to meet with key Australian policy-makers and agriculture producers, and visit a range of agricultural production facilities.

Australia is making a strong contribution to the rehabilitation of the Iraqi agriculture sector, which has been degraded and mismanaged for the last 20 years. Our agricultural advisory team, ably led by Trevor Flugge, is working closely with Dr Al-Abood, to rebuild this vital sector. Australian companies SAGRIC and CSIRO are core members of an international team that has won a recent USAID contract to revitalise this key element of Iraq’s economy.

Dr Al-Abood’s visit will provide a useful opportunity to gain an understanding of the priorities in terms of aid and technical assistance for the Iraqi agriculture sector. The visit will also enable Australian agricultural companies to explore potential commercial opportunities with the Minister, with a view to developing trade links with Iraq or long-term strategic engagement in Iraq’s agricultural sector.

Dr Al-Abood and Mr Al-Chadirchi will visit Perth, Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide to meet federal and state ministers, as well as representatives of Australian companies keen to assist the long term development of Iraq’s agriculture sector.

Contacts:  Chris Kenny (Downer's office) (02) 6277 7500, Matthew Doman (Vaile’s office)  (02) 62777420