Mineral fertilizers in Iraqi agriculture: Use structure, effects on cereal crop yields, and agricultural policy priorities

The resilience of Iraq’s agricultural sector is determined to a considerable extent by the quality of mineral nutrient management under conditions of water scarcity, pronounced interannual weather variability, and the strong dependence of the agrarian economy on state support. Within such a framework, fertilizers function not merely as production inputs but also as instruments of food security, since cereal crops, above all wheat and barley, retain strategic importance for the domestic market. The purpose of the present article is to identify the actual trends in mineral fertilizer use in Iraq, to compare fertilizer intensity with the dynamics of cereal crop yields, and to formulate practical recommendations for future agricultural policy. The methodological framework is based on the analysis of official macrostatistical series on fertilizer consumption, yield indicators, information on input subsidization, and an assessment of the commodity structure of fertilizer supply derived from open foreign trade data. In addition, recent studies on nitrogen use efficiency and the results of field experiments conducted under Iraqi conditions were incorporated into the analysis. The findings indicate that Iraq has experienced a moderate increase in mineral fertilizer consumption per unit area; however, the growth in fertilizer intensity has not been accompanied by an equivalent and stable increase in national crop yields. The greatest practical effect is achieved not through a simple expansion of fertilizer doses, but through a transition toward regulated, crop-specific, and soil-specific fertilizer application combined with a more targeted subsidy system, regular agrochemical monitoring, and the integration of fertilizer policy with water-saving agricultural practices.