A new blow to agriculture.. Iraq loses its strategic treasure

POSTED ON[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] BY [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]A new blow to agriculture.. Iraq loses its strategic treasure[/size]

[size=45]Iraqi agriculture faces many problems such as climate change and water scarcity, which caused the loss of agricultural crops, including the sesame crop, despite being resistant to those conditions and facilitating its growth.[/size]
[size=45]Sesame is described as an annual summer oil crop that belongs to the sesame family (Pedaliaceae), its English name is Sesame, and its scientific name is Sesamum indicum. It is an upright herbaceous plant whose height ranges between 1-2 meters.[/size]
[size=45]It is believed that its original homeland is the hot regions, and it was known in (Africa and East Asia) since ancient times, and from there it spread to the rest of the world, and the most famous countries that currently produce sesame on a large scale are India, China, Sudan, Turkey, and Mexico.[/size]
[size=45]Studies suggest that sesame has been cultivated in Mesopotamia, the Tigris and Euphrates (in ancient Iraq) since 3000 BC.[/size]
[size=45]sesame crop[/size]
[size=45]The total area cultivated with the sesame crop in the world in (1974) was about (6195) thousand hectares, and the annual total production was about (1944) thousand tons at a rate of 314 kg / hectare per dunam.[/size]
[size=45]The total area cultivated with this crop in Iraq, according to 1974 statistics, amounted to a little more than (4644) thousand dunums, and the total production was about (6341) thousand tons, or an average of 137.3 kg per dunum.[/size]
[size=45]Sesame is grown as a summer crop in most of the provinces of Iraq, and the most cultivated provinces of the crop are Anbar, Wasit, Salah al-Din, Diwaniyah, Dhi Qar, and Diyala.[/size]
[size=45]The areas designated for the cultivation of the sesame crop in Iraq amounted to 32,786 dunums, according to a statement by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2019.[/size]
[size=45]This plan includes most of the provinces, according to irrigation methods, including Anbar 8730, Wasit 7019, Salah al-Din 5200, Diwaniyah 4080, Dhi Qar 3560, Diyala 1050, Babil 525, Baghdad 520, Nineveh 520, Maysan 250, and Karbala 55 dunums.[/size]
[size=45]At the time, the Ministry of Agriculture attributed the increase in the cultivated areas of the sesame crop in all governorates to the availability of water, stressing the importance of sesame cultivation as it is considered an economic crop.[/size]
[size=45]Because of water scarcity, Iraq lost many agricultural crops after reducing the summer plan, including sesame, cotton, sunflower, and yellow corn, according to the Director of Wasit Agriculture, Arkan Mariush.[/size]
[size=45]Mariush emphasized that “Wasit was one of the governorates that were famous for sesame cultivation, in addition to the governorates of the Middle Euphrates, and it was concentrated in the northern regions of the governorate, such as (Al-Shahimiya, Al-Suwaira, and Al-Azizia), with an area of ​​6 to 7 thousand dunums.”[/size]
[size=45]economic importance[/size]
[size=45]Sesame seeds are characterized by many characteristics, as they contain 50-56% of the oil. The oil produced from the seeds is mainly used in making liquid vegetable oils, which do not go rancid due to the presence of Sesamoline, which gives an antioxidant upon decomposition, which prevents the oil from rancid.[/size]
[size=45]Sesame seeds are used as food, as they are spread over bread, cakes, pastries, appetizers, and other foodstuffs, including sweets (halawa) and tahini (rashi), which is considered the morning guest on the Iraqi table, especially in the winter season, because it contains high calories and is free of saturated fats.[/size]
[size=45]Sesame is also used as fodder for poultry and livestock, and its grain is characterized by its high levels of minerals and protein, as it contains 10.5% minerals and 27.5% protein.[/size]
[size=45]Its oil is used in many industries, such as dyes, soap, perfumes, the production of medical drugs, insecticides, machinery and lighting, and its stems and leaves are suitable for fuel.[/size]
[size=45]However, despite this, many “industrial crops” began to be less cultivated throughout the country, due to the difficulty of marketing them and the absence of laboratories or factories that convert them into other foodstuffs, according to the director of Wasit Agriculture.[/size]
[size=45]Arkan Mariush explained, "The Iraqi economy depends primarily on oil, and does not give importance to industrial crops that are part of the manufacturing industries, such as sesame, sunflower, corn, cotton, and others."[/size]
[size=45]He concluded his speech by saying: “Therefore, the cultivation of these crops decreased even before the water scarcity, and some of them became extinct because there was no source of marketing for them, such as cotton.”[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]