Iraq .. Drought and the war on Ukraine spoil the wheat season

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[size=52]Iraq .. Drought and the war on Ukraine spoil the wheat season[/size]

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Kamel Hamed works on harvesting wheat on his farm in the village of Jleiha, Al-Diwaniyah Governorate
[size=45]The farmer, Kamel Hamid, looks with apprehension and concern at the swaying golden wheat fields in central Iraq. This year, the 50-year-old's crop fell in half due to drought and lack of water.[/size]
[size=45]As if drought alone is not enough, the war in Ukraine and the rise in the prices of fuel, seeds and fertilizers have cast their shadow since February on the agricultural sector in Iraq with the high costs of production.[/size]
[size=45]The man, who wore a traditional white dress and a keffiyeh, near the village of Jleiha said: "Currently there is an abnormal drought. Even wells do not exist, and salty water comes out of them."[/size]
[size=45]Like all farmers in Iraq, Hamed follows the directions of the authorities who buy their grain, and they determine the areas that will be planted in each governorate and the irrigation rates, based on the amount of water reserves and rainfall.[/size]
[size=45]This year, due to the shortage of water, Iraq decided to halve its cultivated areas, and thus the amount of crops declined.[/size]
[size=45]Hamed had planted a quarter of the hundred agricultural acres of the land he owned, where the harvesting machine roamed back and forth to cut the mature plants, then the grain was carried in the back of a truck.[/size]
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Iraq decided to reduce its cultivated areas in half
[size=45]The 53-year-old farmer says, “The dunam did not provide even 500 kilograms” of wheat in the previous season, while in previous seasons it provided one ton.[/size]
[size=45]The man is also aware of the impact of the war in Ukraine on the situation of Iraqi farmers.[/size]
[size=45]He says that it "affected the high prices of motor oil in the local markets, and this added another financial burden on farmers."[/size]
[size=45]All these factors put the man at a loss. “I don't know how I am going to provide for my family,” he says. I don't have a salary or a job. where I go?".[/size]

 “The farmer will emigrate.”

[size=45]Water shortages remain the main factor straining Iraq's agricultural sector and the country's 41 million population.[/size]
[size=45]They gradually feel the impact of climate change on their lives, starting with desertification, frequent dust storms, declining precipitation and lowering river levels.[/size]
[size=45]The water issue is also an important strategic issue, as Iraq shares the waters of its historic rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, with Turkey, Syria and Iran, while Baghdad repeatedly denounces the construction of dams by its neighbors, which reduces its share.[/size]
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Water scarcity is the main factor in exhausting the Iraqi agricultural sector
[size=45]The Euphrates River passes through Al-Diwaniyah Governorate, where the village of Jleiha is located, and feeds it with 180 cubic meters of water per second. But this season, as the head of the Water Users Associations Hani Shair explains, “it reached 80 cubic meters per second.”[/size]
[size=45]This drought is evidenced by the decline in the waters of the Al-Thurima irrigation project, which feeds an area of ​​200,000 acres of agricultural land. Some streams have dried up completely.[/size]
[size=45]Barley denounces the absence of solutions from the state, as the Ministry of Agriculture did not provide 5 kilograms of fertilizer this year, compared to 40 kilograms in previous years.[/size]
[size=45]He adds that under these harsh conditions, “the farmer will emigrate, leave the land and go to the city in search of any work.”[/size]

"Zero Cultivation"

[size=45]For his part, the spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Hamid Al-Nayef, spoke of the authorities raising the selling prices of wheat to pay farmers about $500 per ton.[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the Director of Diwaniyah Agriculture, Hassan Al-Waeli, explains to AFP that during the years 2019 and 2020, the amount of wheat that was produced reached 5 million tons, which ensured Iraq's self-sufficiency in this vital product.[/size]
[size=45]But this season, Al-Waeli explains that “due to these changes, water scarcity and climatic changes ... all of this led to a 50% reduction in the agricultural plan.”[/size]
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Iraq will also be affected by global market fluctuations and price hikes due to the war in Ukraine
[size=45]The country is expected to produce between 2.5 to 3 million tons of wheat. "Production of three million is not enough for a whole year for the Iraqis," Nayef said, adding, "We will need to import."[/size]
[size=45]Iraq will also be affected by global market fluctuations and price hikes due to the war in Ukraine, although Baghdad imports wheat from Canada, Australia and the United States.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Naif explains, “With the acceleration of the Russian-Ukrainian war, prices are rising even in the United States and other countries, (against the background of) supply and demand.” Countries that used to buy their wheat usually from Russia and Ukraine tend to import from other countries.[/size]
[size=45]In his field in Jleiha, Ahmed Jlehawi wonders whether he made the right decision to pursue a career in agriculture and drop out of school.[/size]
[size=45]In this regard, the 30-year-old farmer told AFP, "I left school and went to farming," but "this year, agriculture was zero."[/size]
[size=45]Last year, it marketed 500 tons of wheat, but this year its production will not exceed 50 to 75 tons.[/size]
[size=45]Because of the war in Ukraine, the prices of fertilizers and insecticides have risen.[/size]
[size=45]The man added, “With the lack of production for this year, it is possible that we will not be able to plant next year and the following seasons, especially due to the high prices.”[/size]
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