"Volumes could be quickly ramped up to 100,000 bpd and hit 200,000 bpd by year end," Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami told the Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) in its edition to appear on Monday.

Iraqi Kurdistan halted oil exports -- of about 60,000 bpd, through a pipeline to neighbouring Turkey -- in October last year due to a payment dispute with Baghdad.

On May 18, the federal cabinet approved a draft deal hammered out by Hawrami and Iraq's deputy oil minister for upstream Abdulkarim al-Laibi that would allow investors in the Kurdish region to be paid for costs and could pave the way for exports to resume.

But Hawrami stressed the deal with the central government was only provisional until a wider oil agreement is reached, adding Iraq's political deadlock after inconclusive March elections was an obstacle.

"I am optimistic, but as you know we are in the process of forming a new government in Baghdad, so there is a question over whether they will give the issue the attention it requires," Hawrami told MEES.

"We all need this. Iraq needs the revenues."

Companies exploiting Kurdish oil fields, which currently produce about 20,000 bpd, include Norway's DNO, Turkey's Genel Energy and state-owned Chinese firm Sinopec.