Nineveh loses 60% of its agricultural lands, and farmers resort to digging wells

[size=52]Nineveh loses 60% of its agricultural lands, and farmers resort to digging wells[/size]

[size=45]Nineveh Governorate is considered one of the most important areas suitable for agricultural production at the level of Iraq, because of its advantages that qualify it to cultivate many types of crops and grains.[/size]
[size=45]However, the governorate today faces many obstacles that led to the emigration of many farmers and animal breeders and their abandonment of work in this aspect, as drought did not pose the only challenge to farmers, as many of them were subjected to pressure by gangs and armed groups.[/size]
[size=45]Farmers are abandoning their land[/size]
[size=45]The Iraqi Minister of Agriculture, “Mohammed Al-Khafaji,” announced that there is a reverse migration that the country is witnessing in Nineveh Governorate specifically, and that large areas of agricultural land have left the annual plan of the Ministry of Agriculture, stressing that about 60% of farmers in Nineveh alone have abandoned their lands and headed to districts and sub-districts due to drought, Although the governorate witnessed in the year 2020 the cultivation of 6 million dunams, while the current year is considered a drought year because the cultivated area did not exceed 300,000 dunams, out of 6 million dependent on rainwater.[/size]
[size=45]Speaking to Iraqi media, the minister stressed, "The importance of finding alternatives, such as digging wells and supplementary irrigation, which is the only successful solution in Nineveh, and this matter was supposed to be done 10 years ago and not now after the current drought."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the head of the Federation of Farmers’ Associations in Iraq, Hassan al-Tamimi, considered that “migration in Nineveh Governorate is a real warning bell that threatens Iraqi agriculture, because what happens to farmers in Nineveh Governorate will be reflected in the central and southern governorates, and will lead to migration from the countryside to the city, and this will affect negatively on the agricultural sector in general.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Tamimi added, in his speech to (Al-Mada), that “the migration of farmers will negatively affect the performance of the state in general, appealing to Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to intervene clearly and quickly, and to form a supreme investigative committee, to investigate the performance of the ministries of agriculture and water resources and to refer all officials to the investigation for lack of They put real plans to provide water to the governorates.”[/size]
[size=45]Urgent Appeals[/size]
[size=45]The head of the Federation of Agricultural Associations in Iraq, Hassan Al-Tamimi, appealed to the Iraqi government, all concerned organizations and the supervisory authorities for solidarity and to raise its voice to demand the neighboring countries to release water to Iraq, and in the event of failure to respond, those countries must be boycotted, as he described it.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Tamimi criticized the weak role of the Ministry of Water Resources regarding this issue, calling for all its cadres to be referred for investigation because of their wasting time and failure to properly exploit the flood seasons.[/size]
[size=45]Adding that the farmer is an Iraqi citizen with rights stipulated in the constitution that the state must provide because it is directly responsible for supporting the farmer and providing the necessary requirements to sustain agriculture and continue agricultural production, and at the forefront of this support is solving the water problem.[/size]
[size=45]Meanwhile, the Vice-President of the Federation of Farmers’ Associations in Nineveh Governorate, “Mohammed Saleh,” stressed to (Al-Mada) that most of the farmers left agriculture and went to other jobs due to the lack of water and the absence of government support.[/size]
[size=45]He criticized the role of the Ministry of Agriculture for not providing grains and fertilizers as required, as it provided each dunum with 45 kg of seeds and 5 kg of chemical fertilizers, and these quantities are not enough for a quarter of the cultivated land within the rainy irrigation line. Saleh also stressed that desertification this year is very difficult, especially for sheep and livestock breeders, and livestock are in a very miserable condition, due to the lack of fodder provision, forcing the breeder to buy them at very exorbitant prices, as the situation has reached complete collapse.[/size]
[size=45]Lack of oversight and support[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the former Iraqi parliament member, Muhammad al-Abed Rabbo, confirmed that “the agricultural level in Nineveh Governorate is not at a reasonable level, in addition to that, there are some mafias that control agriculture in the field of marketing and also control the buying and selling operations.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Abed Rabbo added to (Al-Mada), that “the state buys a ton of barley from the farmer at an amount of 420 thousand and sells it at 210 thousand to traders under the pretext of supporting livestock breeders, adding that those who bought the crop 80% are from traders, while livestock breeders benefited from them only 10-15%. Considering that “this measure is one of the most important reasons that led to the exodus of farmers and the destruction of the agricultural reality in Nineveh Governorate.”[/size]
[size=45]He also held the Ministry of Agriculture “responsible for these authorities’ control over the agricultural reality in the province, as the Council of Ministers approved in its last session the sale of fodder wheat at a rate of 350% to farmers, but the Ministry of Agriculture sold it to parties unrelated to agriculture in the province.” Advertisement and when was it sold?!”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Abd Rabbo pointed out that “the farmers in Nineveh governorate depend on rainwater, and this year is considered a drought year due to the lack of rain. There are wells, but these wells need electrical energy and this energy is not available due to the lack of fuel supply and the high prices in the market.” [/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]